Charlton Athletic sent Thomas Kaminski warning from Luton Town perspective | OneFootball

The Belgian shot-stopper will once again feature in the Championship

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Charlton Athletic are gearing up towards their first season at Championship level since 2020, with Nathan Jones already conducting some impressive transfer activity.

The Addicks returned to the second tier after defeating Leyton Orient 1-0 in the League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium on May 25th, and have since acquired the services of Sonny Carey, Isaac Olaofe and Thomas Kaminski, with the Belgian goalkeeper making a swift return to the division after two years of extremely mixed fortunes with Luton Town.

The 32-year-old has become a household name in the division after previously impressing with Blackburn Rovers, with consistent performances during a lengthy spell at Ewood Park paving the way for his move to the then-Premier League newcomers two summers ago, as well as breaking into the Belgian senior team for the first time.

Given his reputation, regardless of Luton's successive relegations under Rob Edwards and Matt Bloomfield, Football League World has asked our resident Hatters fan pundit, Simon Mills, whether he is surprised that Kaminski has signed for Charlton instead of a more-established Championship club this summer.

The Dendermonde-born man moved to Kenilworth Road for a reported £2.5m sum in July 2023, and went on to make 85 appearances for the Bedfordshire side.

Despite keeping just two clean sheets in the Premier League, Kaminski earnt high praise from onlookers for his individual performances, which led to reports that Leicester City were preparing a £10m bid for his services last summer.

However, he remained the Hatters' number one last season, although the campaign couldn't have gone any worse, as Luton shipped 69 goals in 46 games. Overall, Kaminski's record with the club saw him concede 156 times and keep just 13 clean sheets.

Therefore, speaking to FLW, Mills believes that Jones, who is well-known by Luton supporters for his man-management skills, has to instill a newfound confidence into the shot-stopper ahead of the upcoming campaign after penning a three-year contract.

"I wish Thomas Kaminski the best. But, at the end of the day, he did concede over 150 goals when he was our goalkeeper, and he was our goalkeeper for back-to-back relegations," Mills stated.

"His confidence has to be absolutely shot after all of that," he continued.

"He's nearly 33 years old. If we got £1m for him, which I've seen thrown about, then that's really good business for us.

"He's a great shot-stopper with questionable distribution and little command over his area. If Charlton manage to shore up their defence, then it could be a good signing.

"But, he's going to need an awful lot of protection because, as I said, his confidence must be in the gutter," Mills concluded.

Nathan Jones will hope to restore Thomas Kaminski's confidence as Charlton aim for Championship consolidation

Whilst Kaminski's record at Luton wasn't ideal in the end, an overall tally of 44 clean sheets in 160 Championship appearances gives a more respectable outlook on his ability.

The Reds' main objective this season will be to consolidate in the division, and defensive solidity will play a huge part in determining their success, especially if such form from last season can be continued, as Jones' men conceded just 43 times.

The Welshman's personality will also give hope to supporters in SE7 that Kaminski's confidence can be restored, although his addition will raise potential question marks over the short and long-term roles of Will Mannion and Ashley Maynard-Brewer.