BY RICHARD CAWLEYrichard@slpmedia.co.uk
Nathan Jones is not expecting Charlton Athletic to be majorly active in the January transfer window.
Twelve months ago the Addicks signed Conor Coventry, Macaulay Gillesphey, Kayne Ramsay and Thierry Small on permanent deals from West Ham and Plymouth as well as loan deals for Lewis Fiorini and Chem Campbell from Manchester City and Wolves respectively.
But Charlton manager Jones points to the hectic summer trading – when 11 players came through the Valley door – as a factor ahead of the next window opening on Wednesday.
“We don’t expect it to be really busy because we signed a lot of players in the last window – we had a big turnover which takes time to see the best of all those players,” the Welshman told the South London Press prior to the Christmas period of matches.
“We’ve had a lot come in and a lot leave – we’ve had injuries – so it is not going to be a big turnover this window. We need one, maybe two, positions covered but definitely one – and we’re going to concentrate on that.
“Then it is down to us as a management and coaching staff to get the best out of the players we have got in the building and to get the ones who are injured back. Once we do that then we can continue our building process.
“Last year they signed a lot in the window – we won’t be doing that because there is no need.
“What I have to ensure is that everyone we signed in the summer starts performing at the levels we know they can and the levels that were why they were brought here.”
Charlton have had their right-sided options depleted with Ramsay and Tennai Watson both injured.
“It is one position that we have had injuries in, the one position we haven’t had cover in and the one position we have been compromised in,” said Jones. “It’s glaringly obvious.
“Not every signing is going to hit the ground running.
“We’ve had a lot of new players who have done well and impacted – you look at people like Alex Mitchell and Josh Edwards. They came in to help shore up the defence. We had three clean sheets last year, prior to February, and we’ve kept 23 before Christmas.
“We have to make sure we get the best out of the ones we’ve signed because we believe they are very good players.”Lloyd Jones, Tayo Edun, Chuks Aneke and Thierry Small are all due to be free agents in June.
“When I was a player I frequently went into the last six months of my contract because back then you didn’t have three, four or five-year contracts – you had to work hard, make sure you justified the position every day,” said Jones.
“I would be doing literally everything possible in the world to make sure I earned another contract, either here or elsewhere. That is the motivation you want.
“We have to streamline the squad a little bit because there are one or two not impacting enough or having enough minutes.
“We have to move them on. Not from a financial thing, but from a position where they need to go and play.”
PICTURE: KYLE ANDREWS