Dan Crowley signs: What Charlton Athletic's perfect January transfer window looks like | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at what Charlton Athletic need during the upcoming January transfer window.

Charlton Athletic have made an underwhelming start to the season in League One, so the January transfer window could be vital if they are going to be among the promotion contenders during the second half of the campaign.

Confidence was high at The Valley after Nathan Jones led the Addicks to three straight victories at the beginning of the season, but they have since dropped to 13th in the table and are without a win in four league games.

Jones will have wanted to replicate the success that he had the last time he was a manager in the third tier, when he assembled a squad that went on to take Luton Town to the Championship during the 2018/19 campaign, but there is a lot of work to be done if Charlton are going to achieve similar success this term.

The Addicks have been struggling with injuries in recent weeks, which has definitely contributed to their disappointing run of form, although they would have hoped to produce better results with the players that were available.

Given the way things have gone so far, and considering the number of absentees in the squad, the upcoming January transfer window could be vitally important if Charlton are going to climb back up the table and be successful during the second half of the season.

Let's take a look at a few things that would make it a good January transfer window for the club.

Dan Crowley signs

One area of concern for Charlton is the lack of creativity in midfield, especially considering that they have played without wingers so far this term, with summer signing Luke Berry the only one who has contributed more than a single goal during the early months of the campaign.

Only one of the teams above Charlton in the League One table has scored fewer goals than them this season, suggesting that they need to improve in that department, which is partially down to the impact of the players in the middle of the pitch.

Notts County midfielder Dan Crowley has been a standout player in League Two so far this term, with his performances having earned him the highest average rating on FotMob out of all players in the fourth tier, and he would be a good option for the Addicks to consider in January.

The 27-year-old scored 15 goals and assisted 10 for the Magpies last season, and has made six goal contributions so far during the new campaign, suggesting that he could provide the creative spark that is missing for Charlton at the moment.

Crowley has experience of playing in the Championship for Birmingham City, and helped Hull City gain promotion from the third tier in 2021, so a move to Charlton could be beneficial for both parties as they look to climb back up the divisions.

He is in the final year of his contract at Meadow Lane, so if he doesn't agree a new deal before the January transfer window opens, Notts County may be willing to negotiate a deal that would represent good value for Charlton.

Lloyd Jones stays at the club

Charlton have really missed centre-back Lloyd Jones while he has been sidelined for the last few weeks, after his no-nonsense performances were key to the Addicks' impressive defensive record earlier in the season.

The 29-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, which could potentially attract the interest of other clubs if he does not sign a new deal.

Jones made it clear that he was keen on staying at The Valley in an interview with London News Online earlier this season, but he is yet to extend his stay, meaning that him staying at the club beyond January would currently be part of an ideal scenario ahead of the transfer window.

A right-back signs

Right-back Kayne Ramsay had arguably been Charlton's best player this season prior to his injury against Stockport County in October.

The defender seemed to have hurt his knee at the time, and while Nathan Jones does not reveal the extent of any injuries that his players suffer, there is concern among supporters that he could be sidelined for quite a while.

The Addicks' back up option, Tennai Watson, was then forced off just minutes into Charlton's 2-2 draw with Wrexham the following week, meaning that youngster Zach Mitchell has been covering in that position during the last couple of games despite being more natural at centre-back.

If Ramsay is set to be ruled out for a long time, an ideal transfer window for Charlton could include signing a replacement, perhaps on loan from a club in the Premier League or Championship.