"An appealing option" - Charlton Athletic, Devante Cole stance as ex-Barnsley man remains free agent | OneFootball

The striker is yet to find a club after his departure from Oakwell

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Charlton Athletic have already acted in attempting to fill the void left by top scorer Alfie May for the season ahead, after the striker departed for Birmingham City this summer.

After a potential move to Huddersfield Town was hijacked by the Blues, the 23-goal forward will be lining up at St Andrew’s for the 24/25 campaign, with the Addicks reportedly receiving £775,000 for his services.

Nathan Jones has wasted no time in bringing Gassan Ahadme to the club in a reported £1 million deal from Ipswich Town, as well as former Coventry City striker Matt Godden.

Despite having the likes of Miles Leaburn, Chuks Aneke and Daniel Kanu already at the club, Football League World’s Addicks fan pundit, Ben Fleming, has his eyes on another top striker who is available for nothing this summer.

Devante Cole could help Charlton Athletic replace the goals of Alfie May

Devante Cole netted 18 times in 46 league games for Barnsley in the previous campaign, as the striker continued to prove himself as one of the most-feared strikers in the third tier, having scored 15 goals in the 22/23 season.

As a result, it was seen as a shock to plenty of onlookers as the Tykes decided to offload the frontman this summer, once his contract at Oakwell came to an end.

No side has taken up the option of offering the 29-year-old a deal for the following season as it stands, and Fleming believes the former Fleetwood Town man could add plenty to the Athletic frontline.

Our Charlton fan pundit said: “In terms of free agents, Devante Cole sticks out as quite an appealing option, with 18 goals last season, he’s a proven player at this level.

“We obviously let Alfie May go, and Devante Cole hasn’t had quite as a prolific couple of seasons as Alfie May, but he certainly brings a shedload of experience and know-how at the level.

“He feels like someone who maybe offers a bit more height and a bit more physicality than perhaps is better suited to the style, or the way that Nathan Jones wants his strikers to play.

“He feels like an obvious option. Clearly, we’ve brought in another striker already, but Jones wants to bring in a couple, so I think Devante Cole feels like the obvious choice.”

Nathan Jones adds to Charlton Athletic squad ahead of League One campaign

While Ahadme is the most high-profile summer signing to date, Jones has added plenty of experience to his squad as pre-season gets underway, with Godden also on hand to add further firepower to the Addicks side.

Luke Berry [pictured] links up with his former boss at The Valley having joined from Luton Town, whole Greg Docherty will add another layer of talent within the midfield after moving from Hull City.

At the back, Josh Edwards has made the move south of the border from Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Premiership, while Alex Mitchell makes the slightly shorter journey to join the club from Millwall.

Will Mannion has also joined as a further option between the posts from Cambridge United, as the Addicks start to harbour hopes of pushing to the business end of the table in the upcoming campaign.