“Like Enzo Fernandez and Dominik Szoboszlai” – Charlton Athletic: January transfer claim | OneFootball

Our Charlton Athletic Fan Pundit has identified the type of player he wants his club to go looking for this month

Charlton Athletic, like many other clubs, will likely look to use the January transfer window to strengthen their squad.

The Addicks currently sit in mid-table but are not a million miles from mounting a charge towards the play-off places in the second half of the season.

Fans of the club, as is always the case during a transfer window, will be eagerly awaiting any new faces walking through the door at The Valley to see if they can make that late push a reality.

We asked our Charlton fan pundit Ben, which area of the squad he’d most like to see strengthened.

Charlton Athletic urged to seek out attacking midfielder

Speaking to Football League World, Ben said: “I think probably, look, if we've got all of our best players fit, I don't think full-back or wing-back is an area we need to address.

“I think currently with injuries, definitely the right wing-back area is, but I don't think we necessarily need to buy someone, could be an option for loan.

“But I think, definitely strengthen, I think we need a more creative midfielder. Obviously Luke Berry can be that and I think he's probably, of the midfielders we’ve got, he's probably the one who’s got the most creative attacking instincts. Certainly got a few goals, got a nice assist for Miles Leaburn against Wycombe a few weeks ago.

“But we haven't necessarily got someone who, other than him, who's necessarily going to get himself forward.

“Obviously, [Greg] Docherty and [Karoy] Anderson are a bit more sort of combative, Allan Campbell sorts of similar, although he does get a bit further forward and Terry Taylor and [Conor] Coventry are the sort of guys who sit a bit deep and spray passes and make tackles and whatnot.

“So, yeah, sort of someone with a bit more of an attacking instinct, maybe someone that can, you know, carry the ball up the pitch, sort of, who dribbles, but certainly someone who is maybe a bit more creative in the final third, got a bit more of an eye for goal.

“That feels like the kind of person that we could do with, you know, just thinking of like, clearly not these kind of players, but like Enzo Fernandez and Dominik Szoboszlai to, you know, quote Premier League players, guys that are maybe the more attacking of the three and sort of have that licence to get in the box and make those late runs into the box and take short on the edge of the box and create.

“Don't feel that’s something we necessarily have. As I said, Luke Berry does it, but he's not necessarily started all the games.

“So yeah, I think that would definitely be one that that I'd look to to try and bring in, whether that’s on loan or permanent, that sort of profile of midfielder.”

League One table lays Charlton’s issue bare

As Ben identifies, the Addicks have a wealth of defensive steel in their midfield unit, and it shows: they boast one of the best defensive records in the league, despite their middling position in the table.

The maths, therefore, dictates that their issue lies at the other end of the pitch, another fact backed up table in the ‘goals for’ column — they’re some way behind the play-off contenders they want to compete with in that metric.

In Matty Godden and Miles Leaburn, they have strikers who can find the back of the net with the right service, but as Ben alludes to, having someone in the middle of the park to link those different elements in the side may be what’s lacking.

Find the right profile of player to come in at the Valley to fill that role, and Charlton could soon find themselves moving up the League One table.