"We made the decision" - Alfie May opens up on Charlton Athletic to Birmingham City transfer switch | OneFootball

The League One top scorer has completed a six-figure move to the Blues.

Alfie May has cited family reasons as being a big part of his move from Charlton Athletic to Birmingham City.

The deal which has seen last season's League One top scorer join the newly relegated, high-spending Blues is reported to have brought in £525,000 worth of profit for the Addicks.

May joined Charlton before the start of last season, and hit 27 goals in his solo campaign with the London-based club.

The reported £250,000 that was sent to Cheltenham Town in exchange for the forward is dwarfed by the fee that the south London outfit have received just a year later.

London News Online have reported that Birmingham paid £775,000 for the 31-year-old. Add-ons could take that number up to the £1 million-plus mark.

Charlton have already found a replacement for him in the form of Matty Godden, who has joined from Coventry City.

May has now explained why moving to the Midlands was the right thing for him.

Alfie May opens up on Charlton Athletic to Birmingham City transfer

The Kent-born forward has revealed that his family not fully being settled in the London area was a major part of his decision to part ways with the Addicks.

He told the club's website: "It’s a difficult one for me really because I’m leaving my hometown, but it’s football and I’m doing it for my family.

"The main reason for me is the wife and the kids have moved back up north. We knew moving into the London area was going to be a big ask for my missus, it was something new for her. She just couldn’t get settled down here - she missed her family and she missed her friends.

"And the other reason is my eldest is going into big school and got rejected from three schools and then got tried to be put into another one.

"My wife and me sat down and had a good conversation regarding that - we made the decision I needed to move closer to my family home.

"To be closer to my wife and kids is massive for me. The age I am now, I don’t feel like I want to miss out on anything.

"The fan support is something I knew when I signed for the club - how big the club was. That away following last year was incredible, one of the biggest I’ve seen in the leagues.

"They supported me through the tough times when I wasn’t scoring. It’s been a pleasure to play for a local club. "I knew I was going to score goals. The first couple of games where I had a dry spell, I knew there would be chances because of how many we were creating in games. "I loved it overall. Hopefully I leave on good terms, that’s what I want to leave on.

I can’t thank everyone enough at the club that has supported me this year. It’s only been a year but it’s a year I’ll never forget."

Charlton Athletic arguably have an upgrade on Alfie May in Matty Godden

How do you replace 27 goals? Well, one good way to do it is to take a well experienced forward from the league above and bring him to your club. That's exactly what Charlton have already done.

Matty Godden may not have had all the minutes in the world over the past season or two, but there is no doubting that he could still be playing in the second tier and not look much out of place, if at all.

Usually, finding people to fill the spot of someone like May comes from buying from down the leagues, not from higher divisions.

There aren't many teams in League One that have someone of his quality up top. Losing May will hurt, but you've got to be excited about the prospect of his replacement.