Charlton Athletic should launch move for ex-Rangers star on a free | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic should launch a move for former Rangers and Croatia defender Borna Barisic.

Having gained promotion back to the second-tier last season, Charlton Athletic have started steadily with their goal to be to become a competitive side at Championship level, and a surprise move for Borna Barisic would certainly aid that goal.

Former Luton Town and Stoke City boss Nathan Jones has had a mixed track record as a coach, but when he has got things right they have gone extremely well, and that is the case down at The Valley.

The passionate Welshman has proved himself to capable of impressive feats and an extremely good tactical coach, and so the Addicks will be keen to ensure he has what he wants at his disposal to give them the best chance of staying up this season.

It was an ambitious summer transfer window by the south Londoners that saw them bring in Charlie Kelman as a marquee addition from Queens Park Rangers, alongside some other notable names such as Thomas Kaminski, Reece Burke, Amari’i Bell, Rob Apter and Harvey Knibbs.

The defence was strengthened with Burke and Bell, as well as Joe Rankin-Costello and James Bree, but, even outside of the window, there are a couple of reasons as to why they could consider another addition to that back-line and former Rangers man Borna Barisic is someone who should be on their radar.

Borna Barisic would help Nathan Jones switch the style

Throughout his managerial career, and during his time at Charlton, Nathan Jones has switched between a back four and a back three system, and the Addicks’ most recent outing saw them deploy a

back four.

They were beaten 3-1 by QPR at Loftus Road in that game, and Jones, always thinking, will be looking at ways to ensure they are not that easy to score against moving forward.

Amari’i Bell is a brilliant addition for a back three system, with the former Blackburn Rovers man capable of playing at full-back, wing-back or centre-back on the left-hand side, but there is a need for another player in that position, too.

Borna Barisic would be the ideal defence-first wing-back for a Jones-led side, able to switch around with Bell, who would naturally occupy the space behind him in that system.

He would also be an improvement on Josh Edwards, who has had a good time of it at The Valley since moving from Dunfermline Athletic, but Barisic represents a step up in quality.

Borna Barisic would also provide Charlton with added quality and pedigree

From a tactical perspective, Barisic would help Jones switch the system to one that already appears to suit his players, but on an individual level, he would also help raise the quality of his squad.

The former Croatia international, who won the league with Rangers under Steven Gerrard, is a free agent having left Trabzonspor this summer, having spent some time in La Liga last year, on loan at eventually relegated Leganes.

The 32-year-old Osijek-born defender may well have declined in terms of his performance level, but he would still be viewed by many as a bit of a coup for Charlton.

The 35-cap defender also brings with him the added bonus of being something of a set-piece specialist and with Jones likely to set Charlton up in a way where fine margins will likely dictate a lot of the outcomes of their matches, having someone who can assist and score with regularity from a set-piece situation will be essential.

Both in terms of the quality he brings, as well as the experience and pedigree, and the fact it could aid Jones in playing what many would view as his preferred three-at-the-back system, Barisic would be a surprise but shrewd move for Charlton to make.