Football League World
·15 October 2023
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·15 October 2023
Charlton Athletic had a busy summer at the Valley following the completion of the takeover by Global Football Partners, who wasted no time in getting to work.
The Addicks will be looking to have a more competitive season in League One this term. Dean Holden led them to 10th in the table last year, despite the issues off the field, and Charlton accumulated 62 points with him at the helm.
The team were hoping to bridge the 15-point gap to the play-off places and now build with the off-field talks coming to a conclusion. Numerous changes have occurred already behind the scenes for the club, including a change in manager after just five games. Holden lost four and won once in Charlton's opening league games.
He left them 19th in the table and became the first EFL manager to lose his job this season. The London club will be aiming to bridge that gap and earn a place in the top six over the next eight months with Michael Appleton now taking the reins.
However, his Charlton side have an opportunity to strengthen in January, but will also be minded about losing key young talent and star players. The club is in close proximity to a hotbed of young stars by being situated in London and the Addicks have seen many great names come through their academy over the years, something that has boosted the reputation of the club.
Here, we take a look at who they may be set to lose in January, and how they may use that money to source a replacement or two to catapult themselves into the play-off picture before the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
An obvious candidate to be sold this January, Blackett-Taylor is most certainly a name that falls into the category of players that the Addicks could face difficulty in retaining for the duration of this season.
The 26-year-old is a direct, pacy, and skillful dribbler and he's been a star for Charlton yet again in the opening stages of the current campaign, building upon the previous term that saw him tally a career-high eight-goal haul.
This term, he already has contributed to four goals and three assists in his opening 11 games. As such, suitors are circling for the winger's services and a recent update from journalist Darren Witcoop revealed interest from Championship duo Swansea City and Hull City.
Blackett-Taylor's contract expires next summer and is yet to be renewed and while Charlton will naturally be eager to refresh his terms, it's still unclear what the desires will be of a player who has interest from higher up and has shown himself to be worthy of that making that step up, too.
Much hinges upon how Charlton fare in the coming months, but if they're not well and truly in promotion discussions then expect them to sanction a January sale in order to avoid losing the forward for nothing next summer. The winger has quality and the club will likely cash in and reinvest the funds elsewhere.
Kilkenny was a player who was linked with a move in the summer transfer window, but for whatever reason, a deal never materialised.
That means the Irish midfielder has stayed with Premier League side AFC Bournemouth for the first part of this season, where he has yet to play a game and has only been named on the bench a handful of times. His lack of involvement is likely to see him leave in January, whether that is a permanent deal or a temporary one.
The midfielder spent the second half of last season on loan at Charlton, making eight appearances, and it could be that the League One side returns again in January as they possibly look to strengthen their midfield options once more.
If Blackett-Taylor departs, the club may be in need of reinforcements out wide, and dipping into the Premier League loan market could be the best plan of action. There are likely to be many wingers available in January, and Shoretire is another young player who is on the books at a top flight side but is playing academy football.
The Manchester United winger can also operate as an attacking midfielder and spent the second half of last season on loan at fellow League One side Bolton Wanderers. Shoretire got plenty of game time under his belt and excelled at times for the Trotters in a different role. Charlton themselves have utilised the Premier League winger loan market well when last season Jesurun Rak-Sakyi enjoyed an extremely beneficial spell with the Addicks.
A move this summer didn’t work out for the 19-year-old, but he could be looked at by several sides ahead of January and could be useful to a team like Charlton, who look to possibly improve their depth and have a player with pace and direct running, much like Blackett-Taylor.