Charlton Athletic never saw West Ham or Premier League hype - transfer flopped badly | OneFootball

The Addicks signed an ex-West Ham striker on a free transfer in 2015.

Charlton Athletic never saw the best of Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te after signing him in November 2015.

Charlton were in the relegation zone in the Championship when they signed Vaz Te on a free transfer, with Karel Fraeye having been appointed interim head coach to replace Guy Luzon the previous month and tensions rising at The Valley under the ownership of Roland Duchatelet.

The Addicks had a number of attacking options at the time of Vaz Te's move to SE7, including Simon Makienok, Tony Watt and Reza Ghoochannejhad, so the arrival of the former West Ham United man had seemingly given Fraeye more than enough firepower to steer the club clear of the bottom three.

The forward, who was 29 at the time, had left Akhisar Belediyespor in the summer of 2015, but prior to his spell in Turkey he had been playing in the Premier League for West Ham, so he appeared to be a shrewd acquisition for a club struggling in the second tier.

He had scored 24 goals for Barnsley and West Ham during the 2011/12 season, his most recent in the Championship before joining Charlton, and netted the winner in the play-off final to send the Hammers to the top flight.

However, Vaz Te did not live up to expectations in South East London, failing to reproduce the kind of form that had seen him rack up 94 Premier League appearances for West Ham and Bolton Wanderers.

Ricardo Vaz Te flopped at Charlton Athletic

Vaz Te struggled to make an impact during his time at Charlton, making 12 appearances in all competitions, failing to score a single goal, and only tasting victory on his debut after coming off the bench in a 1-0 win away at Birmingham City.

Karel Fraeye became the second Charlton manager to be sacked that season in January 2016, and he had only been appointed a few weeks before Vaz Te's arrival in November 2015, which shows just how difficult that period was for the Addicks.

Vaz Te's only goal contribution was an assist in a 2-2 draw at home against Bolton Wanderers, a game in which a young Ademola Lookman scored a brace. The teenager was the brightest attacking spark for Charlton during Vaz Te's spell at The Valley, despite several senior strikers being at the club.

In Vaz Te's 12 appearances, Charlton were knocked out of the FA Cup by Colchester United, lost 3-0 at home to Ipswich Town, were beaten 4-0 away against Burnley, and lost back-to-back games 5-0 and 6-0 away at Huddersfield Town and Hull City respectively.

The Portuguese forward's contract was terminated by mutual consent in February 2016, after new boss Jose Riga had only worked with him for a matter of weeks. Charlton went on to be relegated to League One at the end of the season, further consolidating that the signing of Vaz Te had flopped badly.

Vaz Te felt he was not given a fair chance at Charlton Athletic

In February 2016, just a few weeks after leaving The Valley, Vaz Te made it clear that he felt he was not given a fair chance by Jose Riga, as per The News Shopper.

"I had a discussion with Riga, he didn’t believe in my ability to help the side out, so I thought ‘okay fair enough’," Vaz Te said.

"But, at all the clubs I’ve played for, no one can ever question my desire and commitment.

"When I went to Charlton I knew what I had to do - I had another option but I turned it down for Charlton.

"In the meeting, Riga said he was looking for committed people. We had a training session on Thursday before the Blackburn game, and on Friday, he told me to train with the U21s.

"Thursday was a light session so I don't know what he took from that. By Friday, I was pushed aside with Cristian Ceballos and that was it.

"I don’t know if he misunderstood me but all I know is that when the man walked through the door, he looked at me and I didn't see anything good out of it.

"I didn't see a person who wanted to know me, see me, or understand me, he just completely crossed me over.

"I left because Riga came in and he didn't want me there, that’s how I felt so I moved on - I may not agree with him, but I respect his decision and I wish the club the very best.”

Given his previous lack of impact, it seems unlikely that Vaz Te would have been able to fire Charlton to safety if he had been given an opportunity by Riga, but the forward was understandably frustrated after his time at The Valley came to an end.

One thing is for sure — the 2015/16 campaign was a disastrous one for Charlton, and Vaz Te is a player who likely will have been forgotten by many in SE7. And, for those that do remember him, they will remember Premier League pedigree that was completely absent across a woeful couple of months.