Exclusive: What Don Goodman has said about Charlton Athletic's transfer plans under Nathan Jones | OneFootball

A huge summer lays ahead of the Addicks as they prepare for life in the Championship.

Charlton Athletic have a tough job on their hands trying to avoid relegation from the Championship next season after winning promotion through the League One play-offs.

The hill that the Addicks have to climb isn't as steep as those going from the second to the first tier of English football, but, nevertheless, it is an incredibly competitive division that they are heading into.

One good bit of news at The Valley is that their manager, Nathan Jones, has recently agreed a new five-year deal to stick around with the London club until the summer of 2030, following strong interest from boyhood side Cardiff City.

The former Luton Town and Stoke City boss has plenty of Championship managerial experience to pass onto his squad, but it does have some holes in it compared to the teams they will face next term.

These issues that need to be addressed were only lengthened by the departure of Thierry Small, who has joined Preston North End as a free agent. Charlton are reportedly looking to reinforce at the back with out-of-contract Sheffield Wednesday centre-half Akin Famewo being eyed, as per The Star.

Charlton need a strong summer window to make Championship life easier

The need to invest and improve the team is clear to Don Goodman, though there's a slim chance, given the contract that the club's Welsh boss has just been handed, that Charlton won't be committed to financing a strong summer, as the Sky Sports pundit pointed out.

He exclusively told Football League World: "It's great news for Charlton that they've tied Nathan Jones to a five-year deal, but I do think that they need a lot of strengthening to try and compete in the Championship.

"I think you only have to look at the three that went up two seasons ago, in Portsmouth, Derby County and Oxford United; they did really well in the end, to retain their Championship status, but they found it difficult.

"I don't think there's too much Championship experience in that Charlton squad. The loss of Thierry Small is a big blow. So hopefully, having given the manager a new five-year deal, there will be plenty of backing for Jones in order to strengthen that squad."

Charlton must put recruitment emphasis on forward areas

The main area that Charlton need to address this summer is their attacking options.

While Small wasn't an out-and-out forward, his role in Jones' side did become more attack-focused over time, so they will need to more than make up for his output.

Star striker Matty Godden was an absolute hit in League One, but his recent Championship record is not that stellar.

He was the only player to reach double-digit goals last season (18), which itself is concerning, but that was the first time Godden had done so in a league campaign since 2021/22.

Spreading out that scoring load more evenly will be crucial for the Addicks next season, unless they can sign a top striker.