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Squad Assessment heading into the Summer

ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
in General Charlton
With the season fast coming to an end, and the excitement of not knowing which Division we'll be in... What are people's thoughts on the squad going into the summer regardless if we're a League One side or not, if we fail to win promotion, do we need to "fine tune" this team rather than overhaul (Naturally we may have to worry about rebuilding because of outgoings like Thierry Small).

Then there is the debate about us being able to compete in the Championship... Nathan Jones has made us tough to beat, and the way Luton fans spoke about his time at that level with them, we'll be no different making the step up, however we signed Macauley Gillesphey from Plymouth after their own promotion, and whilst he's been a revelation since the turn of the year pretty much, is that a sign that he's perhaps not of that level?

Especially as these will be things that the Recruitment Team (if it exists) will no doubt be looking at already... You'd hope

League One Squad (Not promoted)

Goalkeepers:
Replace Maynard-Brewer, as Mannion looks ahead of him

Defence
Probably looking at a replacement for Small, maybe even Ramsay as suspect he'll have suitors
Does Watson have his Contract renewed as a backup?

Midfield
Need someone to compete with Luke Berry
Does Taylor remain a backup to Coventry, or moved on with Enslin coming through

Strikers
Ahadme loaned out unless he has a solid injury free Pre-Season
Struggle to keep hold of Campbell and possibly Leaburn but we need more pacey backup regardless
Replace Aneke.

If promoted to the Championship

Goalkeepers:
Replace Maynard-Brewer, as Mannion looks ahead of him

Defence
Is it currently strong enough, or do we need to look into better than Gillesphey with him becoming backup
Hopefully we'll keep Small, and probably makes sense to release Watson and get better backup there

Midfield
Need a starter ahead of Luke Berry, who'd become a backup option in my opinion
Need better backup for Coventry, as dont think Taylor would be good enough at that level, might be fair on Enslin

Strikers
Ahadme loaned out unless he has a stormer of a solid injury free Pre-Season
Kanu loaned out, with an "better" option for the season
Hopefully we'd keep hold of Campbell, and possibly Leaburn but we need more pacey backup
Replace Aneke

Very simplistic way of looking at the squad as a whole of course, and no doubt wont be that simple once all games are played out, and the joy of the Summer Transfer Window opens.
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Comments

  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    Updated squad list - 6 February 2025 — Charlton Life
  • se9addickse9addick
    If we get promoted to the Championship this squad will need a massive overhaul. I know everyone’s really excited at the moment, so am I, but trying to be objective there’s only five or six players that are really of the standard required for the next tier.
  • Kap10Kap10
    Personally I think the two keepers both have differing assets that combined would make a perfect keeper. Mannion is better at taking crosses, Maynard Brewer is the better shot stopper. 

    It's always going to involve a degree of personal bias but my preference would be Maynard Brewer of the two.
  • LeuthLeuth
    se9addick said:
    If we get promoted to the Championship this squad will need a massive overhaul. I know everyone’s really excited at the moment, so am I, but trying to be objective there’s only five or six players that are really of the standard required for the next tier.
    I'd say most of our first XI could hold their own in the Championship! Who would you say couldn't? Poor Macca, he is a *bit* slow isn't he. The others though? 
  • ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    edited April 3
    se9addick said:
    If we get promoted to the Championship this squad will need a massive overhaul. I know everyone’s really excited at the moment, so am I, but trying to be objective there’s only five or six players that are really of the standard required for the next tier.
    Jones - Small - Ramsay - Godden - Docherty - Coventry... Maybe Campbell, maybe Berry still (as he's been there, dunnit)?

    Kap10 said:
    Personally I think the two keepers both have differing assets that combined would make a perfect keeper. Mannion is better at taking crosses, Maynard Brewer is the better shot stopper. 

    It's always going to involve a degree of personal bias but my preference would be Maynard Brewer of the two.
    Yeah my preference is Maynard-Brewer as well... However looking at it from a neutral standpoint, Jones seems to prefer Mannion given who started the season and plus he's been very relaxed about Maynard-Brewer's latest injury verging on the point of nonchalant almost.
  • LeuthLeuth
    Berry probably won't have the engine for it even if he has the knowhow
  • se9addickse9addick
    edited April 3
    ForeverAddickted said:
    se9addick said:
    If we get promoted to the Championship this squad will need a massive overhaul. I know everyone’s really excited at the moment, so am I, but trying to be objective there’s only five or six players that are really of the standard required for the next tier.
    Jones - Small - Ramsay - Godden - Docherty - Coventry... Maybe Campbell, maybe Berry still (as he's been there, dunnit)?
    My list of those I’d be confident in:

    Jones
    Small 
    Edwards 
    Ramsay
    Coventry 

    Maybes:

    Godden
    Campbell
    Docherty
    Leaburn (I actually don’t have a clue how Leaburn would do at a higher level)
    I actually quite like Mitchell so will add him to my maybes 

    As I say - the squad - would be miles off and would need significant investment. 
  • MarcusH26MarcusH26
    I think I'd be looking at maybe 6-8 ins in total regardless of League 

    GK- AMB I'd be letting go , Mannion and a new GK whether that's a permanent or loan I wouldn't be too worried. 

    CB- hopefully Ramsay stays , Jones anchors the backline and I'd want an upgrade on Gillesphey. Would be happy with Alex and Zach Mitchell as cover. Josh Laq to get a League 2 loan ideally. Not sure on McIntyre. 

    RB- not bothered about Watson staying, he's fine for League 1 but I wouldn't want to block Asiimwe. Small new deal imperative but think that would need promotion even with his change of agent. 

    LB- Edwards has been an outstanding signing. If Small stays that gives us options, otherwise could be an option to bring someone in to back up Edwards, don't know what the situation is with Toby Bower. 

    CDM - Coventry as the lynchpin , would expect Taylor to move on so that would be an area to add depth. Kedwell NL/L2 loan. 

    CM - Would want an upgrade on Berry , Docherty I wouldn't be too sure about starting every week in the championship so another potential upgrade but Doc would be an excellent squad option. Anderson a good option to have as a rotation piece. Haven't seen enough of Alex Gilbert to judge fully if he could be worth going for in the summer if promoted. Enslin I'd keep around and develop. 

    ST - Godden the only definite of the current squad to be here. I would expect Leaburn to stay if the injury is an out for the rest of the season job. TC I expect major bids for regardless of the situation. Ahadme I'd loan out along with Kanu. Aneke isn't renewed for me. 

    Dixon is a wildcard , see how preseason looks for him and go from there. Casey NL Loan. Hylton to coach. 

    So potentially 2-3 strikers needed regardless. 
  • Pelling1993Pelling1993
    a few good goalkeepers in League 1 to steal if we do go up. I'd be very happy with any of:

    Tickle - Probably got suitors higher up though
    Whitworth at Exeter 
    Nicholls at Huddersfield - thought he had a brilliant game vs us and nothing he could've done about the 4 goals

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  • lancashire ladlancashire lad
    One of the difficulties of promotion through the playoffs is the club has 2 weeks less to prepare for the Championship
  • se9addickse9addick
    lancashire lad said:
    One of the difficulties of promotion through the playoffs is the club has 2 weeks less to prepare for the Championship
    Even when we’ve known what division we’re going to be in weeks/months before the end of the season we’ve never used it to our advantage. In reality the best players we can get will be determined by what happens with other clubs, so it’s hard (though not always impossible) to do much for all clubs until the playoffs/promotion/relegation from each division is sorted.  
  • cafcsingercafcsinger
    Pelling1993 said:
    a few good goalkeepers in League 1 to steal if we do go up. I'd be very happy with any of:

    Tickle - Probably got suitors higher up though
    Whitworth at Exeter 
    Nicholls at Huddersfield - thought he had a brilliant game vs us and nothing he could've done about the 4 goals

    Whitworth was terrible against us. Huddersfield fans not impressed with Nichols this season 
  • fenaddickfenaddick
    Yeah I’d be avoiding Whitworth like the plague. Griffiths is the only L1 keeper I’d be happy for us to go for. A loan from a top club wouldn’t be a disaster but the ideal is we can get someone who has played a lot of games and can teach Mannion and Reid a few things 
  • covered_end_juniorcovered_end_junior
    ForeverAddickted said:
    Pelling1993 said:
    a few good goalkeepers in League 1 to steal if we do go up. I'd be very happy with any of:

    Tickle - Probably got suitors higher up though
    Whitworth at Exeter 
    Nicholls at Huddersfield - thought he had a brilliant game vs us and nothing he could've done about the 4 goals

    Whitworth is on loan from that lot in Surrey, plus he's tiny.

    Josh Griffiths (when he was on loan at Bristol Rovers) from West Brom is the one I want - He got recalled in January as they sold their first choice to Ipswich, I thought thats because he'd become their No.1 but still hasn't played for them.
    Griffiths is one I wanted us to look at in the Summer along with Jensen (who went to Millwall) but he signed a new deal for them last June. 
  • BlucherBlucher
    The good thing about the squad is that, for once, we have stability , with only three players out of contract. We'll be saying goodbye to Chuks and Watson and hoping we can hang on to Thierry Small.

    Two fine young prospects, Zach Mitchell and Nathan Asiimwe will be rejoining the squad and I suspect Teddy Taylor will join another club, although he has a year left on his contract.

    If we don't go up, it will be a matter of trying to hang onto our best players to try and make it next season; if we are promoted, we'll certainly need some high quality additions, particularly in midfield. 

  • BlucherBlucher
    One thing we'll have to do is to try and utilise the loan market to good effect. It's usually a short-term fix but it would reduce the capital outlay on new players, hopefully inject some additional quality into the side and help us acclimatise to the rigours of an ultra-competitive Championship.
  • MarcusH26MarcusH26
    Blucher said:
    One thing we'll have to do is to try and utilise the loan market to good effect. It's usually a short-term fix but it would reduce the capital outlay on new players, hopefully inject some additional quality into the side and help us acclimatise to the rigours of an ultra-competitive Championship.

    I know NJ doesn't like them but I absolutely agree. We're going to have to utilise the loan market fully. Could be the best way of getting a quality keeper and an upgrade on Berry. 
  • BostonaddickBostonaddick
    Assuming Championship (staying optimistic).  Godden, Berry, Docherty dropped to league one in part because they no longer were good enough to start in the championship.  They are fine as reserves but not starting.  Neither keeper is championship standard.  Macca is too slow/error prone to start.  So that is five starters at least.  While players like Small, TC, Edward’s have championship potential and will probably start, the lack of end product at times up until recently makes me think you need to bring in one or two wingers/wingbacks for competition.  the only three I feel absolutely certain on is Jones, Coventry and Ramsey
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  • thetomahawkkidthetomahawkkid
    Bostonaddick said:
    Assuming Championship (staying optimistic).  Godden, Berry, Docherty dropped to league one in part because they no longer were good enough to start in the championship.  They are fine as reserves but not starting.  Neither keeper is championship standard.  Macca is too slow/error prone to start.  So that is five starters at least.  While players like Small, TC, Edward’s have championship potential and will probably start, the lack of end product at times up until recently makes me think you need to bring in one or two wingers/wingbacks for competition.  the only three I feel absolutely certain on is Jones, Coventry and Ramsey
    I think Edwards would definitely be good enough for Championship.
  • MarcusH26MarcusH26
    Garrymanilow said:
    MarcusH26 said:
    Blucher said:
    One thing we'll have to do is to try and utilise the loan market to good effect. It's usually a short-term fix but it would reduce the capital outlay on new players, hopefully inject some additional quality into the side and help us acclimatise to the rigours of an ultra-competitive Championship.

    I know NJ doesn't like them but I absolutely agree. We're going to have to utilise the loan market fully. Could be the best way of getting a quality keeper and an upgrade on Berry. 
    To be fair we were very, very close to bringing in a keeper on loan as our number 1 but at the last minute a La Liga team came in for him and blew us away. I think the loan thing with Jones is quite overblown, he prefers to avoid loans unless they will make the team substantially better because he wants to develop our own players. We're hopefully seeing the benefits of that now, because even if we don't go up we'll go into next season with Ramsay, Jones, Edwards, Coventry, Campbell etc, all players we've made better this season and who we either benefit from or get a fee for.

    Hein would have been a top signing there's no disgrace in losing out to a La Liga club for him or Celtic for Sinsalo from Villa. I think a lot of this will also depend on when Andy Scott's replacement arrives too. 

    I don't want to go back to the TS times where it felt like loans for the sake of it but 2-3 quality additions in key positions could make all the difference. 
  • se9addickse9addick
    thetomahawkkid said:
    Bostonaddick said:
    Assuming Championship (staying optimistic).  Godden, Berry, Docherty dropped to league one in part because they no longer were good enough to start in the championship.  They are fine as reserves but not starting.  Neither keeper is championship standard.  Macca is too slow/error prone to start.  So that is five starters at least.  While players like Small, TC, Edward’s have championship potential and will probably start, the lack of end product at times up until recently makes me think you need to bring in one or two wingers/wingbacks for competition.  the only three I feel absolutely certain on is Jones, Coventry and Ramsey
    I think Edwards would definitely be good enough for Championship.
    Edwards is probably the player I’m most confident can make the step up. This is almost certainly the kiss of death!
  • sam3110sam3110
    No point looking at it til we know where we are, as if we get promoted with all due respect to the team that gets us there, half of them won't make the step up and will need replacing 
  • se9addickse9addick
    sam3110 said:
    No point looking at it til we know where we are, as if we get promoted with all due respect to the team that gets us there, half of them won't make the step up and will need replacing 
    Doesn’t the second part of your sentence contradict the first?! 
  • StarinnaddickStarinnaddick
    NJ brought in players to do a job in League 1 with an eye to being good enough in the Championship. He knows what it takes to step up and it amuses me that people are speculating before we have even got there. 
  • sam3110sam3110
    se9addick said:
    sam3110 said:
    No point looking at it til we know where we are, as if we get promoted with all due respect to the team that gets us there, half of them won't make the step up and will need replacing 
    Doesn’t the second part of your sentence contradict the first?! 
    Not really, I haven't gone into any detail about exactly who needs replacing and who will step up, as it's pointless until we know if we're building a League 1 promotion chasing team or a championship team
  • MartinCAFCMartinCAFC
    Watson as a backup for me is a no, even for League One. It's almost like last season when people were making the case for Hector and/or Thomas to be kept on as backup CB's. 

    While Watson has clearly improved under Jones we also have Asiimwe coming back from his loan to provide cover and any RB coming in needs to be competing with Ramsey for a place in the team.
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