Charlton Athletic have hit the jackpot with £5k-a-week star - Nathan Jones loves him | OneFootball

Sonny Carey has been one of the unsung heroes for Charlton Athletic this season

Charlton Athletic made 11 signings in the summer, with the majority of them being players who had excelled in League One in prior seasons.

The likes of Charlie Kelman, Rob Apter, Harvey Knibbs and Tanto Oloafe all cost the Addicks decent fees ranging from £1.5 million for the former Stockport County man, Olaofe, to an initial £3.5 million for last season's top scorer in the third tier, Kelman.

With 54 goals between all four of them in League One last season, there were plenty of expectation for them to make that step up easily.

However, not many would have expected that it would be one of the free transfers from League One who has set the Championship alight with the Addicks.

Sonny Carey arrived on a free transfer following the expiration of his Blackpool contract in the summer, and leads the way for Charlton with five goals.

He's quickly risen to become one of Nathan Jones' key men, and with him seemingly jumping from strength to strength year by year, there are some even wondering how far the 24-year-old could go.

Sonny Carey's impeccable start to life back in the Championship

In a way, Carey could have been one of the first names on Jones' transfer wishlist this summer, as the out-of-contract Blackpool man was the first player through the door at The Valley, signing less than two weeks after Charlton had won promotion back to the Championship.

According to Capology, he was handed a contract worth an estimated £5,000 per week, which could indicate a lack of importance, but with fellow Tangerine arrival Apter also on £5,000, and key signings Kelman and Knibbs on £6,500 per week, it's probably not worth reading too much into.

Especially given that Carey has been anything but a squad player so far this season. In fact, he's been rivaling Southampton loanee James Bree for the best player in a Charlton shirt so far this term.

It's been an incredible start to life back in the second tier for the 24-year-old, who began his journey in the EFL in the Championship after Blackpool picked him up from National League North side King's Lynn Town in 2021.

Having spent a couple of seasons in the second tier, Carey has clearly honed his craft in League One, and the jump back to the Championship has been effortless.

He has been called upon from the off in every game so far for Nathan Jones this season, something only centre-back Lloyd Jones and goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski can say they've done alongside him.

His five goals have come in different games, meaning he's netting a goal every three outings. They've also come at important times, with four of them coming in wins, and the other being in the 1-1 draw against Millwall which saw Charlton pegged back late.

The Addicks have been one of the big surprises of the campaign so far, currently sitting inside the top ten, two points removed from the play-offs.

Their defence has been astonishing, and is one of the main reasons why they're where they are. However, if their attackers could get scoring at a similar clip to Carey, Nathan Jones' side could make an incredibly unlikely run into the play-offs.

Carey's improvement over the past few seasons has been there to see, as the 24-year-old has chipped in with more and more goals year-on-year.

After netting three times in his final Championship campaign, then five in his first in League One and eight last season, he's well on his way to matching and then exceeding that tally in his first year back in the second tier.

But it's not just his basic stats which are improving too. His ball carrying, pressing and chance creation are getting better too, and given the rapid rate he is going at, Championship clubs with higher budgets, or even lower-end Premier League sides, may start looking at the 24-year-old soon enough.

The former Blackpool man isn't showing signs of slowing down, and if he can continue to fire for the Addicks, perhaps it won't be long until Charlton establish themselves as one of those top-level second-tier sides, with Carey running the show in the middle.