"Happy to see him go" - Charlton fan pundit addresses Blackpool and Reading target | OneFootball

Highlights

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

January looks set to be a busy month for Charlton Athletic as Michael Appleton makes the most of his first transfer window at The Valley.

The Addicks have already landed loan duo Tyreeq Bakinson and Lewis Fiorini, from Sheffield Wednesday and Manchester City respectively, but more new arrivals are expected to follow.

It's a chance for Appleton to trim his squad where he sees fit as well and one player attracting attention is defender Terell Thomas.

According to Football Insider, both Blackpool and Reading have expressed an interest in Thomas in a bid to bolster their defensive options for the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.

The 28-year-old penned a one-year extension with Charlton in the summer but is now in the final six months of his deal meaning he is set to leave for nothing in the summer if new terms are not agreed.

"Happy to see him go"

FLW's Addicks fan pundit Ben Flemming suggested that Thomas is a player he would be happy to see depart as long as the appropriate replacements were brought in.

"I think I'd be pretty happy to see him go," he explained.

"He signed a one-year extension in the summer so I'm not sure whether this would be the interested clubs signing him on a free at the end of the season or a nominal transfer fee but he's not exactly starting loads in our team.

"Obviously, Lloyd Jones and Michael Hector are starting and Tayo Edun has done well up the left. Apparently, we're bringing in Macaulay Gillesphey from Plymouth so it could be a case of getting him off the wage bill.

"He does provide good cover for when Edun is injured, we don't necessarily have another player that can play left-back. Thomas is a bit unconventional because he's naturally a centre-back but he can play out there.

"So I wouldn't be jumping to sell him but if we bring in this other centre-back and maybe we can bring in a full-back on loan to take the burden of Edun then it might be one to look to move on and get off the wage bill but I don't imagine we'd be getting too much of a transfer fee for him. He's quite old and not got a long contract with us but yeah, I think it's probably one where if you get the necessary outgoings then it's someone you can look to move on.

"I don't think there is any great need to move him on because I think his contract's up in the summer and you might want to look to let him go then but if you can get a bit of a fee then it might be worth looking at. There are certainly other priorities and incomings have got to be the focus in this window, not necessarily outgoings."

Thomas offers important squad depth

Thomas has by no means been a star at The Valley but he has been a very useful pickup.

The defender's versatility has been something that Appleton and his predecessors have taken advantage of - with the 28-year-old featuring as both a centre-back and a left-back during his second spell in South London.

In that sense, the appropriate cover must be brought in before Thomas is allowed to leave. It doesn't feel like Charlton are likely to get much of a fee from either Blackpool or Reading for him so it might well be worth keeping hold of him until the end of the season just in case.

The Addicks know firsthand how important proper squad depth is in the EFL and Thomas offers that.