Tag: window

What Charlton Athletic’s perfect January transfer window looks like

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.

2024/25 League One stats for Charlton Athletic’s midfielders (ESPN)
Player Name	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Luke Berry	14	4	0
Greg Docherty	13	1	0
Allan Campbell	8	0	1
Conor Coventry	13	0	0
Karoy Anderson	10	0	0
Terry Taylor	4	0	0

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.

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November 16, 2024

How Wigan Athletic’s dream 2025 January transfer window may look

Wigan Athletic managed to land a top-half spot in League One last campaign, despite beginning the season with an eight point deduction and being subject to a transfer embargo, which meant that Shaun Maloney only had youth academy products, loanees, free-agent signings and players signed by previous managers at his disposal.

Due to the fact that the Latics were free from such restrictions ahead of the current campaign, many supporters were hopeful of an exciting summer transfer window and that their side could make a subsequent play-off push after performing unexpectedly well last term.

While the Greater Manchester outfit did make many promising additions over the summer, such as the loan signings of Michael Olakigbe and Luke Chambers from Premier League sides Brentford and Liverpool respectively, as well as the permanent capture of former Chelsea man Dion Rankine, the club did not sign a senior striker during the summer window despite the exits of Charlie Wyke, Josh Magennis and Stephen Humphrys, and have struggled in the goals department during the early exchanges of the League One season.

Following recent periods of financial uncertainty at the Brick Community Stadium, such as the Latics’ time in administration under a former ownership group in 2020, current owner Mike Danson has instilled a philosophy of financial sustainability, which has clearly had an impact on player recruitment.

With this in mind, the Latics are likely to endure another quiet transfer window, but Football League World takes a look at what could be a dream January for Maloney and co.

Sam Tickle stays

The best possible transfer business the Greater Manchester outfit can conduct in January is retaining the services of goalkeeping ace Sam Tickle, who was largely responsible for the fact his side maintained six consecutive cleansheets in League One prior to October’s international break.

Tickle’s shot-stopping talents have not gone unnoticed, as he is an England Under-21 international who has attracted transfer interest from high calibre clubs such as Premier League giants Arsenal, as per The Athletic.

But according to The Sun, the 22-year-old did not want to join the Gunners amid concerns over his gametime, while he is Maloney’s undisputed first-choice keeper.

Meanwhile, it was revealed last November by Alan Nixon that Everton were also interested in the services of the Three Lions youth international.

Once the January transfer window comes around, further advances for the Latics youth academy graduate are likely to surface, while Maloney would be thrilled to retain his star man.

Alasanna Jatta signs

While the Latics have clearly impressed in the defensive department recently, with six consecutive clean sheets in League One, the same could not be said about their attack.

Disappointingly for Maloney’s side, four of those six games saw them draw 0-0, although they did manage a 4-0 win away at Bristol Rovers as well as a 3-0 triumph over Peterborough.

In their opening 10 League One fixtures, the Latics scored on just nine occasions, meaning that they must prioritise signing a striker come the January transfer window.

Notts County forward Alassana Jatta could be an ideal addition for the Greater Manchester outfit, due to the fact he scored four goals and produced two assists in his first six League Two games of the season.

While County are vying for a place in the third tier next season, Jatta could be tempted to make the jump to League One in January, especially if he continues his goalscoring exploits.

Thelo Aasgaard retained

The Latics’ main goal this January will be to retain the services of Tickle, as previously mentioned, but they would also love to keep hold of fellow homegrown talent Thelo Aasgaard.

After Aasgaard managed his most productive season yet for Maloney’s side last campaign, with eight goals and three assists in League One, perhaps he has not pushed on in the manner he would have hoped, with just two goals in his first 10 third tier outings this term.

Thelo Aasgaard 2023/24 League One stats

Appearances

35

Starts

31

Goals

8

Assists

3

However, his technical ability is undeniable, and he attracted transfer interest from Championship outfit and local rivals Blackburn Rovers during the summer window, as per Nixon.

And by the winter, the Norway youth international may well have rediscovered his best form, which would only intensify Wigan’s desire to retain their starlet.

Kai Payne leaves on loan

Latics boss Maloney will also be keeping an eye on the future during the January transfer window, and will likely decide which of his youngsters he will keep in his squad, as well as who he will send out on loan.

One player who could benefit from a loan move is 19-year-old academy product Kai Payne, who made his League One debut from the substitutes’ bench during a 1-0 win over Crawley Town back in August, but did not make a single league appearance for his club during September.

While Payne is a promising youngster, he is unlikely to gain a spot in the Latics midfield just yet, courtesy of competition for places from the likes of former Arsenal man Matt Smith and Ireland youth international Baba Adeeko.

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October 12, 2024
Eddie Howe cagey over Newcastle future and admits ‘it’s difficult to give any reassurance on anything in football’ – as speculation mounts following a frustrating transfer window
- Summer saw key positions such as centre-back and right-wing not strengthened
- Howe would’ve been powerless to prevent star name leaving club at end of June
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off!, available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
By Craig Hope

Published: 06:55 EDT, 1 September 2024 | Updated: 06:55 EDT, 1 September 2024

Eddie Howe admits he cannot give supporters assurances over his Newcastle future – but says his only focus is on staying at the club for a ‘long time’.

While the England job is open and with the head coach having conceded his frustration at a summer window in which key positions such as centre-back and right-wing were not strengthened, there remains some uncertainty over Howe’s future.

Asked if he could would consider walking away – like Kevin Keegan had done amid transfer angst in 2009 – Howe said: ‘This isn’t a loaded answer, but it’s difficult to give any reassurance on anything in football.

‘But I absolutely love being Newcastle manager and I’m very proud to do it.

‘No part of me is thinking anything other than trying to beat Tottenham and looking, hopefully, to a long reign here.’

Eddie Howe admits he cannot give supporters assurances over his Newcastle future

While the England job is open here remains some uncertainty over Howe’s future (pictured: interim England boss Lee Carsley)

Profit and Sustainability Rules have limited what Newcastle can do in the transfer market, and Howe added: ‘A lot has changed in terms of PSR (since the Saudi-led takeover in 2021).

‘The biggest change, the inability to spend, and our need to comply with rules to prevent a points deduction.

‘Of course that impacts the ability to progress the club as quickly as maybe they wanted to.

‘I don’t think the dream dies, necessarily, it takes a lot longer. We have got to build our revenue streams, that is the biggest thing.

‘Bring more money into the football club, however we do that, sponsorship, loads of things.

‘That is the big thing we need to focus on in the next 10 years, whether I am lucky enough to see any of that, who knows.

‘So the dream is not over, it is just going to take a lot, lot longer.’

Meanwhile, Howe admits he would have been powerless to prevent a star name leaving the club at the end of June as Newcastle battled to avoid breaching PSR rules.

Asked if he could would consider walking away – like Kevin Keegan had done in 2009 – Howe said: ‘This isn’t a loaded answer but it’s difficult to give any reassurance on anything in football’

He added: ‘Selling players was a necessity, and it was very difficult to do’ (pictured: Elliot Anderson who moved to Nottingham Forest)

‘I can’t act like that (say no to a player leaving),’ he said. ‘It’s not about my want. Especially in June, it was about what the club needs.

‘We could have been sat here with a huge points deduction and everyone would say, “Why didn’t they sell players?”.

‘You have to choose which way you want to go with it, and we couldn’t go down that route (points deduction). Selling players was a necessity, and it was very difficult to do.’

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Eddie Howe cagey over Newcastle future and admits ‘it’s difficult to give any reassurance on anything in football’ – as speculation mounts following a frustrating transfer window
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September 1, 2024