Thierry Small makes definitive claim on Charlton Athletic future after Preston North End interest | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic wing-back Thierry Small has spoken on his future at The Valley.

Charlton Athletic wing-back Thierry Small has spoken about his future at The Valley, with Championship side Preston North End believed to be monitoring his potential availability.

The 20-year-old reportedly attracted interest from Preston this month, as per Alan Nixon via his Patreon, with the youngster in the final year of his contract in SE7.

However, the Addicks have been handed a major boost in their bid to keep hold of the promising wideman, as he has admitted that he would love to extend his stay in South East London.

Small has impressed for Charlton on the right-hand side in recent weeks, with his injury-time winner against Shrewsbury Town earning a valuable three points last weekend, before his performance during the victory over Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night earned him a place in the League One Team of the Week.

Charlton supporters are likely to have been fearing the worst considering that Small is set to be out of contract in the summer, but it seems as though he sees his future at The Valley.

Small provides update on Charlton future

Small has spoken on his future in an interview with London News Online, and he expressed a desire to extend his stay at Charlton.

"It's currently under negotiations and I'm just letting my agent deal with it," said Small.

"We will just see where it goes from there.

"I would love to stay.

"It's one of the best spells in my career so far. I'm still learning and I'm grateful to the manager for having faith in me and pushing me to help me do well.

"This is the most important time now for everyone to get their heads down and try to see where our season finishes.

"We're aiming to get into the play-off spots. We just have to deal with it game by game."

Charlton triggered an automatic one-year extension to Small's contract last summer, after he did not sign the long-term deal that was reportedly offered to him in April last year.

The 20-year-old's contract situation has clearly caught the attention of at least one Championship club in Preston, after Small impressed against North End in the Third Round of the FA Cup earlier this season, but it now appears as though the Addicks could manage to tie down their prospect.

Lloyd Jones extended his Charlton stay in January following reports linking him with a move to Wycombe Wanderers, so if Small also signs a new deal, it would be an excellent outcome for the Addicks regarding their key out-of-contract players.

Small may want some stability

Small is just 20-years-old, but he has already represented five different clubs during his career, having been on the books at Everton, Southampton and Charlton, as well as spending time on loan at Port Vale and St Mirren.

He played for the Toffees in an FA Cup tie at the age of just 16, before joining the Saints in search of more first-team football, but he only ever played in the same competition for his new club.

He has only been at Charlton since joining around this time last year, but he has more league appearances for the Addicks than his four previous clubs combined, so it is clear to see why he seems to have an affiliation with his current employers.

Charlton supporters will hope that Small does want some stability at this stage of his career and commits his future to the club, as he is a player who is making an impact now, has plenty of potential, and seems to love playing for the Addicks.