Charlton Athletic must regret Nigel Adkins' £700k double transfer swoop | OneFootball

The Addicks' decision to sign two players in the summer of 2021 did not pay off.

Charlton Athletic went into the 2021/22 season with some confidence under the management of Nigel Adkins, although the season did not pan out how the Addicks' would have hoped.

Adkins had led Charlton to a seventh-place finish at the end of the previous campaign, having been appointed to replace Lee Bowyer following his move to Birmingham City midway through that season, narrowly missing out on a play-off place on goal difference.

Therefore, there was optimism among supporters ahead of the following campaign, with Adkins set to embark on his first full season in charge at The Valley, and ready to try and add to the three League One promotions that he has achieved in his career.

However, the former Hull City and Reading boss was relieved of his duties after just 13 league games, with Charlton languishing inside the relegation zone having picked up just two league wins by October.

The Addicks must look back on their summer transfer business that year with regret, after they spent a significant amount of money on two players who did not live up to expectations during their time in SE7.

Charlton Athletic spent transfer fees on two signings in the summer of 2021

The summer transfer window in 2021 was Danish owner Thomas Sandgaard's first since taking over at Charlton in September of the previous year, and the club did manage to complete a couple of good signings, with George Dobson and Corey Blackett-Taylor both joining the club during that time.

However, the Addicks also spent transfer fees to bring in two players that summer, and unfortunately, neither turned out to be a good addition.

First, Charlton completed a deal to sign Charlie Kirk from Crewe Alexandra for £500,000, after the winger had scored six goals and provided eight assists for the Railwaymen in League One during the 2020/21 season.

Adkins expressed his delight at the signing of Kirk via the club website.

"He is a very talented and exciting, young, forward-thinking player and I am really looking forward to working with him over the coming years," he said.

The second player Charlton bought that summer was defender Sam Lavelle, who joined the Addicks from Morecambe for a fee in the region of £200,000, after he had helped the Shrimps win promotion from League Two through the play-offs the previous season.

Again, the manager explained how happy he was to get the deal over the line via the club website.

"We're really pleased to welcome a talented player like Sam to the club. I'm looking forward to working with him," said Adkins.

Kirk and Lavelle were both underwhelming at The Valley

Neither Kirk nor Lavelle quite lived up to expectations during their time at The Valley, with both players sent out on loan during their spells at the club and Charlton failing to finish above 10th while they were on the books.

Kirk was sent on loan to Blackpool with a view to a permanent deal less than six months after his arrival at The Valley. However, the Tangerines did not take up their option to keep the winger beyond his temporary stay at Bloomfield Road.

Kirk and Lavelle both joined Burton Albion on loan at the end of the January transfer window in 2023. Charlton boss Ben Garner had opted to give debuts to two academy graduates rather than starting Lavelle the previous month, while Kirk had only scored two goals in 17 league appearances prior to his departure, both of which came in a 3-3 draw against the Brewers at the Pirelli Stadium.

That game against Burton was probably the individual highlight of Kirk's time at Charlton. Meanwhile, Lavelle's most memorable moment came when he scored the winning penalty in a shootout against Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion in the EFL Cup, which earned Charlton a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in the quarter-final of the competition.

Lavelle left Charlton permanently in July 2023 to sign for Carlisle United, before they were relegated the following year, meaning he now plays his football in League Two. Kirk also now plays in the fourth tier of English football, after his Charlton contract was mutually terminated in December 2023, having signed for Barrow earlier this season.

It would be fair to say that Charlton must regret spending around £700,000 on two players that never really increased the level of the team, and both now play in League Two, having not proved to be worth the money that the Addicks spent on signing them.