Charlton Athletic have pressing player matter beyond just Thierry Small | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic will want to agree fresh terms with a couple of their most promising young players.

Charlton Athletic have tied down most of their young players to long-term contracts in the last couple of seasons, but they still need to agree fresh terms with two of their most promising talents.

The Addicks have often sold their most exciting young players in years gone by, with Jonjo Shelvey, Nick Pope, Joe Gomez, Ezri Konsa, Ademola Lookman and Mason Burstow being some of those that the club has opted to cash in on.

Therefore, it has been encouraging to see that Charlton seem to have made a real effort to tie down their young talent to long-term contracts during the last couple of seasons.

Karoy Anderson and Zach Mitchell both have clauses in their contracts which mean their deals can be extended until 2028, Nathan Asiimwe and Tyreece Campbell have similar clauses which, if triggered, would see them stay at the club until 2027, while Daniel Kanu is also contracted until 2027.

However, there are two other exciting youngsters in Nathan Jones' squad who do not have quite as long to run on their existing contracts, and the club will no doubt hope they can agree fresh terms with them to extend both of their stays.

Charlton will hope to keep Small and Leaburn

Thierry Small and Miles Leaburn are two players Charlton will be slightly concerned could leave the club within the next 18 months.

Small is set to be out of contract at the end of the current season, while Leaburn's deal will run out in the summer of 2026.

In May 2024, the Addicks triggered a one-year extension clause in Small's contract that has kept him in SE7 for the 2024/25 season, before the club triggered a similar clause in Leaburn's contract in October 2024 to ensure that his deal now comes to an end in 2026 rather than this summer.

Both players have reportedly attracted interest from big clubs during their time in South East London, with Small having been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur last summer, while Chelsea and Aston Villa are just two of the clubs that have been keen on Leaburn.

Charlton have ambitions of reaching the Championship as soon as possible, so they will have some hope that they can convince both players to extend their contracts, but if they are unable to do so, then they may lose Small for a compensation figure and be forced to cash in on Leaburn during the summer, so renewing their contracts will likely be a pressing concern within the club.

Charlton will hope they can agree fresh terms with Small and Leaburn

Charlton will have some hope that they can extend the contracts of Small and Leaburn before the end of the season, despite the fact they are likely to attract interest from clubs in higher divisions.

Firstly, Small has already been on the books of Premier League clubs during his spells at Everton and Southampton, and he was rarely given any opportunities to show what he is capable of.

Despite being just 20 years old, he has already played for five clubs in his career, so the Addicks will hope he values being a regular first-team player over being a fringe player at a bigger club like he has been in the past.

Small also admitted that he would love to stay at The Valley at the end of the January transfer window, so if Charlton make him a reasonable offer, there is every chance he could extend his stay.

In Leaburn's case, he graduated from the academy at Charlton, and he has family ties to the club through his father, Carl, who is a former player, and his mother, Tracy, who is the current player liaison officer, so he may feel as though he wants to stay and help the Addicks progress.

Of course, it would not be a huge surprise to see either player be tempted by a possible move away in the summer, but it should be a pressing matter for the club to try and extend both of their contracts, not only because of their impact on the pitch, but also to protect their value.