Opinion: Charlton Athletic should capitalise on Bristol City’s major player decision | OneFootball

Jake Forster-Caskey and Craig MacGillivray also sealed permanent moves away, while Charlie Kirk, Sam Lavelle, Diallang Jaiyesimi and Conor McGrandles departed on loan, further trimming the club’s wage bill for the rest of the season.

With very little to play for in the remainder of the League One campaign, it is unlikely the dealings will have huge implications on the club’s immediate future, but their depth chart is still looking bloated and understocked in certain areas.

Stockley’s departure to Fleetwood Town has left the Addicks with four players capable of taking up number nine roles, however, they do not provide as much depth as that would suggest.

Macauley Bonne and Miles Leaburn are the first choice options, the former’s deal only runs until the summer and the latter is in his first season of senior football and has already suffered and recovered from a serious ankle injury this term.

Then there is Chuks Aneke, who has made just four league starts for the club since arriving in January 2022, due to injury, and has not featured since mid December.

The fourth in the list of potential number nines is 18-year-old Daniel Kanu, who is an exciting prospect, but will likely see more minutes for the U21 side than the first team in the coming months.

With Dean Holden showing flexibility in formations and deploying a 3-5-2 system in patches of his start to life at The Valley, an additional striker is needed to replace Stockley on the depth chart, even though Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is arguably capable of playing in a front two.

The Addicks only have the free agent market to turn to, and Chris Martin seeing his contract terminated at Bristol City by mutual consent on deadline day may present an opportunity.

The 34-year-old is on the way down in his career, but may be the best option available to the Addicks, with someone like Connor Wickham potentially looking for a Championship club.

Adding a player with 110 goals and 56 assists in 440 Championship appearances on the cheap could be a smart move at this stage, bringing in a more physical option to Holden’s frontline and someone that the more mobile forwards like Leaburn, Rak-Sakyi and Corey Blackett-Taylor could play off.

Martin’s influence on the younger players in the attacking contingent also should not be underestimated, the Scotsman has taken up unselfish roles on and off the pitch throughout his career that have benefitted the players and team around him, at times over his own attacking output.

Martin has played in London before in spells at Fulham and Crystal Palace, and this could be an opportunity too good to turn down for both parties, just half a season after the 34-year-old scored 12 goals and assisted six in 45 second tier outings for the Robins in 2021/22.

Martin offers a chance for the Addicks to recover from what was a strange and somewhat concerning transfer deadline day, with match fitness being less of an issue for Martin compared to other free agent options.

Quiz: Are these 20 Charlton Athletic facts real or fake?

There will be competition for the Scotsman’s services, but an 18-month deal in SE7 could make Charlton a more attractive option for the player, given the uncertainty around what the Addicks’ attacking contingent will look like next season.