Charlton Athletic – Season Preview 2019/20

1961

Following a three-season absence, The Addicks are back in the second-tier of English football.

Manager Lee Bowyer looked set to leave the club following their promotion to the Championship however the former Charlton player has now signed a one-year contract extension and will be hoping to build on last season’s success.

Can Bowyer deal with the step-up in quality and keep Charlton Athletic in the Championship?

Last season

Charlton didn’t get off to the best of starts and recorded just a single win in their first five league  matches last season.

However, their form quickly picked up and the club went on to spend the majority of the campaign sitting comfortably in the play-off places.

The club lost just once in their final fifteen games and after spending countless weeks in fifth place, they finished up in third.

Charlton defeated Doncaster Rovers in the play-off semi-finals before beating Sunderland at Wembley to secure their spot in the Championship.

Next season

Lee Bowyer’s decision to stay on as Charlton manager is a huge bonus for the club heading into the new campaign.

He is an extremely popular figure at The Valley and the team’s development would have been seriously hampered if he had parted ways with the club.

If Charlton are to compete at this level, they will need to drastically improve their form away from home.

The club lost eight of their 23 away games last season while conceding 25 goals in the process.

When you compare this to their home form, which saw them lose just twice and finish with a goal difference of +26, it is clear to see where the team needs to improve.

The step-up in quality from League One to the Championship is vast and may prove to be too much for Charlton.

Players in

• Macauley Bonne - €225k from Leyton Orient
• Ben Amos - Free from Bolton Wanderers
• Tom Lockyer - Free from Bristol Rovers
• Chuks Aneke - Free from MK Dons
• Adedeji Oshilaja - Free from AFC Wimbledon
• Nathan Harness - Undisclosed from Stevenage
• Ben Purrington - Undisclosed from Rotherham United

Players out

• Jamie Mascoll - Free to Wycombe Wanderers
• Igor Vetokele - Free to KVC Westerlo
• Joe Aribo - Free to Rangers
• Mark Marshall - Free to Gillingham
• Nicky Ajose - Free to Exeter City
• Patrick Bauer - Free to Preston North End
• Tarique Fosu - Undisclosed to Oxford United
• Josh Parker - Released
• Ben Reeves - Released
• Mikhail Kennedy - Released

Predicted league finish

The predicted league finish for Charlton Athletic is 23rd. The Addicks have failed to add any proven Championship quality to their squad in the summer transfer window and will do well to avoid the drop.