Charlton Athletic lauded for 'masterstroke' free transfer - he is 'proving' Blackpool FC 'wrong' | OneFootball

Sonny Carey joined on a three-year contract following the expiration of his deal in Lancashire

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 signing Sonny Carey from Blackpool on a free transfer is claimed to "absolutely" be a masterstroke by the South East London club.

The summer signing has quickly established himself as a key figure in Nathan Jones' midfield, forming an impressive midfield partnership with Greg Docherty and Conor Coventry.

All three players have started every league game so far this season, with the Addicks maintaining an impressive run of form that has seen them win their last two matches - against Sheffield United and Blackburn Rovers.

Sonny Carey has been "very, very positive" for Nathan Jones and Charlton Athletic

FLW's Charlton Athletic Fan Pundit, Sam White, highlighted how effectively Carey has integrated into the squad since his arrival from the Seasiders.

"I think Sonny Carey’s been a very, very positive signing. To be able to take someone on a free transfer and really embed them into the squad really quickly," he explained.

The Fan Pundit placed particular emphasis on Carey's importance to Charlton's midfield structure, telling FLW, "He played such a pivotal role in the midfield actually, and arguably the three midfielders are probably the ones you don’t want to be dropping or subbing off in games, so it causes even more problems."So far, Carey's performances seem to have vindicated Jones' decision to make him the club's first signing of the summer transfer window.The 24-year-old joined on a three-year contract following the expiration of his deal at Blackpool, where he had been since 2021 - and Jones revealed to the club's official website he had previously tried to sign the player.

Jones then described Carey as someone with "plenty of scope to improve, he's athletic, he's a ball-carrier, he can create, he can score, so those things add to what we've already got here."

Blackpool are being proved wrong regarding Sonny Carey

While referring to his signing as a "masterstroke", White also addressed apparent scepticism that surrounded Carey's ability to make the step-up to Championship level, suggesting many at Blackpool questioned whether he could adapt to the higher division.

"Is it a masterstroke - absolutely. Obviously, I know he wasn’t probably likely to stay at Blackpool, but a lot of their fans - and I think arguably a lot of their club - were looking at Sonny Carey as someone who wouldn’t be able to make the step up into the Championship," he added.

"But that is proving very wrong at the minute, very wrong and actually I think he will be a fan favourite," White declared.The midfielder's impact has been immediate. He scored his first Addicks goal in a 1-1 draw against Millwall, before finding the net again in Saturday's 3-0 win over his former club's local rivals Blackburn Rovers.

His post-match comments following the Rovers win demonstrated his fearless mentality, stating, "We don't fear anyone. If we play away or home, we're trying to get three points."Regarding the long-range strike, Carey admitted, "I'm going to be honest, I had nothing else in my mind other than get it and shoot. I've seen it back and I could have maybe passed it. But I caught it sweet and it went in."With Charlton sitting in seventh before Tuesday's trip to Pride Park to face an out-of-sorts Derby County, White's verdict of Carey as a transfer masterstroke is starting to ring true.