Brentford & Chelsea transfer interest may be a distant memory for Charlton Athletic talent | OneFootball

Miles Leaburn hasn't found the heights since his injury.

Charlton Athletic's academy has produced numerous talents who have gone on to achieve success at bigger clubs, and it was widely anticipated that Miles Leaburn would be the next in line.

The tall, commanding striker spent much of his youth career at Cobham in the famed Chelsea system before making the move to the Addicks in 2019 at the age of 15, hoping to carve out a pathway into the first-team like his father Carl did in the 1980's.

That promise was realised on the opening day of the 2022-23 season when Leaburn junior made his debut in a 2-2 draw against Accrington Stanley. The then 18-year-old seized the opportunity with both hands, scoring the Charlton's second goal with a powerful header from a Jack Payne cross.

Over the next 18 months, he built on that promise, but an injury midway through the 2023-24 season hampered him, and despite glimpses since, he has struggled to show the same form that attracted the attention of Premier League clubs

Miles Leaburn saw Chelsea and Brentford interest come his way in 2023 before injury

Having scored on his debut, many managers would have rushed to place the youngster straight into the starting 11 for the next game. However, then-head coach Ben Garner took a more measured approach, gradually introducing him to men’s football with carefully managed steps.

This approach worked in the youngster’s favour, and despite Garner’s sacking in mid-December, new head coach Dean Holden continued to place his trust in him.

The faith was well-placed, as Leaburn showcased his potential with a remarkable run of form towards the end of the 2022-23 season, scoring five goals in four games — including a brace in a 6-0 thrashing of Shrewsbury Town.

Eventually, the English striker finished the league season with 12 goals in 35 appearances, 18 of which were starts. This impressive record meant he was averaging a goal every 151 minutes for the Addicks.

This form continued into the following season as he added another three to his tally in his opening 13 games of the 2023-24 campaign.

His growing reputation and profile soon caught the attention of some Premier League clubs, with Chelsea - who had released Leaburn as a teenager - and Brentford both taking a keen interest in his development in October 2023.

In addition, it was reported that in the previous summer, an unknown Bundesliga club had seen a £3 million bid rejected for the striker, with his reputation well and truly growing as one of the better young strikers in England.

But in November of 2023, a serious hamstring injury prematurely ended his campaign, with Leaburn only able to make his long-awaited first-team return in a fixture against Bristol Rovers 11 months later.

Miles Leaburn's struggle for a regular starting berth at Charlton Athletic will see Premier League ambitions fade

Slowly reintroduced to football under Nathan Jones, it quickly became apparent that Leaburn had lost none of his sharpness. Over the Christmas period, he netted four goals and provided two assists in just three games as the Addicks picked up some impressive victories over the likes of Wycombe Wanderers and Northampton Town.

However, this form seems to have been short-lived, with the 21-year-old scoring just once since and now finding it difficult to secure a regular spot in the starting 11.

This is largely down to the success of Matt Godden, who has found the net four times in the last five games and is now up to 10 goals for the season.

Of course, a spell out of the team may not be the worst thing for Leaburn, as it gives him the chance to learn from a player like the former Coventry City striker, whose success throughout his EFL career makes him an excellent role model for the young striker.

But it doesn’t appear that the attacker is anywhere near recapturing the form that first put him on the map, with interest from the Blues and the Bees now seeming like a distant memory.

For now, Leaburn’s focus must be on regaining the trust of Jones, who currently doesn’t see him as a viable option to start ahead of Godden.

That said, this isn’t to say he won’t come good, and by the end of his current Charlton contract in 2026, he could well be the player to lead the Addicks frontline, with the potential he was showing pre-hamstring injury possibly manifesting itself.

However, at this current moment in time, that will feel like a whole world away, with the short-term focus for Leaburn now being to get back into Jones' starting 11 and scoring a regular supply of goals.