Michael Appleton offers Charlton Athletic transfer hint | OneFootball

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Charlton Athletic boss Michael Appleton has suggested that the club will not dip into the free agent market to solve their current striker shortage.

Indeed, picking up a player still without a club is one option for the Addicks in order to add depth to their attacking options following an injury to Chuks Aneke.

However, Appleton has suggested that the League One club will not look to the free agent market, with the Charlton boss deeming it a 'risk' at this stage of the season.

What has Michael Appleton said about free agents?

When quizzed on the issue by the South London Press, Appleton told the media: "The big issue I’ve got right now at this time of the year with free agents is game time and being fit,”

“It would be a little bit different if it was a week, two weeks or even three weeks after the window had shut, because you have still got at least three months to get them up to speed and playing regularly or around your team.

“Taking free agents now is a bit of a risk because they haven’t played for so long. They might’ve played in one or two behind-closed-doors games but having the confidence to bring them into the group – and up to speed straight away – would be a little bit of a concern.

“It’s one of those that I never say never, but it’s not something we’d probably look to do now. It might be something we look to do after the January window is shut – players who have been at a club and playing reasonably regularly up to January.

“You have got to be careful. You tend to take players – I’ve done it in the past – thinking you are going to get the player that they were or potentially were the previous season.

“They come in, get injured and then you are back to square one."

How will Appleton fill the void?

Adding to his previous comments, Appleton revealed that he was excited about some of the young players at The Valley, suggesting they could be the ones to step up in the event of a striker shortage.

“To be fair we have got young players and players that excite me going forward," Appleton added.

"I know they are not going to be anywhere near the finished article – either now, in six months time or even maybe 12 months – but we have got the likes of Micah Mbick, who came off the bench last week in the FA Cup.

“He has trained with us a few times now and I could quite easily have had him with us on Tuesday night but the youth team have a FA Cup tie on Thursday.

“ I felt it was important for him to play in that and stay part of that group as well, at times."

Is Michael Appleton right to take this stance?

You can certainly understand where the Charlton boss is coming from.

The key to his words were that he has experienced signing free agent signings late on before and that they've got injured, so he is simply learning from his experience.

At this stage, the best free agents have long been snapped up, anyway, so the club not dipping into this market currently may not be the worst thing, even if they are a bit short here or there.