Charlton Athletic, Nathan Jones sent January 2026 transfer plea - 'it's clear what we need' | OneFootball

The Addicks are on a run of five consecutive defeats ahead of their trip to Birmingham City this weekend.

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 struggled for form of late, which has resulted in them plummeting down the Championship table.

Following their late winner against West Bromwich Albion at The Valley in early November, the Addicks found themselves in the play-off places, and they were enjoying a five-game unbeaten run in the second tier.

Now, Nathan Jones' side are 19th in the Championship table, just six points clear of the relegation zone, and on a run of five consecutive defeats, during which they have conceded 14 goals and only scored three.

Charlton face Birmingham City away from home this weekend, which will not be an easy game, especially considering the Blues have only lost once in the league at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park so far this season, and they were reduced to ten men during that defeat against Hull City.

Jones must find a way to turn the tide at The Valley, otherwise the Addicks could risk being relegated straight back down to League One at the end of the season.

Charlton Athletic could face a battle to avoid relegation

We asked our Charlton fan pundit, Chris Woodward, what he thinks is needed for the Addicks to get out of their current slump, and whether he believes the January transfer window could be key to their chances of survival.

Chris has urged Charlton to recruit defensive cover at centre-back and left wing-back, while another forward could also be a welcome addition to a side which has found itself short of goals in recent times.

As such, with fears of relegation continuing to grow after what had been such a strong start to life back in the Championship, the Addicks will know that much rests upon the success of next month's transfer window.

"Six gameweeks ago, we looked like we could be dark horses for the play-offs after a late winner against West Brom," Chris said.

"Now, we are in a situation where it is looking like a relegation battle.

"The results I am not too concerned with, considering we have played Coventry, Stoke, Middlesbrough, an in-form Wrexham, and a Southampton team that have found their feet under new management.

"However, the performances of those results have not been good enough. Some teams need certain players to play a certain way, and that applies to us, having a left-wing back who can tuck in and play left-back in possession.

"Due to injuries, we don't have that at present, and therefore can't play the way we want to. Over the last five games, we have tried about three or four different formations, tried many different players in different positions, and we have not looked remotely good, besides 30 minutes at Coventry.

"That was until Amari'i Bell, who had just returned from an injury, got injured yet again.

"I think the majority of the fanbase have all come to the same conclusion, where we either need our injured players to come back, or we need the January window, which is looking like the closest option at present.

"We have shown that when we are fully fit and play the way we want to, we can comfortably compete at this level, but what you can't have is one or two injuries and the whole system and style of play all fall apart.

"The positives are that, in January, it is clear what we need to fix our situation. If we manage to get another proper left-wing back, more cover at centre-back to give our current centre-backs a rest, and potentially another pressing forward, I am very confident that we can turn this poor form around.

"We have already found a successful winning formula, it is just about having the players to make it work."

December fixtures look hugely important for Charlton

While the January transfer window will give Charlton an opportunity to strengthen, their run of fixtures leading up to the new year could prove to be hugely important at the end of the season.

After their trip to Birmingham this weekend, the Addicks will host Oxford United the following Saturday, visit Norwich City on Boxing Day, and travel to Portsmouth on the 29th of December.

That means Jones' side are set to face three of the five sides currently below them in the Championship table across their next four games, so it is vitally important they pick up some points during that run of fixtures.

If Charlton can find form this month, they will be able to carry some momentum into January, and if they have a good transfer window, there is every chance they could kick on during the second half of the season once their injured players are also back.