Charlton Athletic tipped to offload £2m star who is 'fighting an uphill battle' | OneFootball

Rob Apter has failed to justify his price tag since joining the Addicks from Blackpool

Charlton Athletic have made an extremely encouraging start to the Championship season under Nathan Jones, despite the fact its early weeks have still provided a plethora of challenges for the club.

The Addicks currently find themselves ninth in the second tier having accumulated 12 points from their opening eight encounters, despite a 3-1 loss at Cardiff City last time out.

That said, Jones' side will hope to keep up such form throughout the coming weeks and months when they return to action next weekend, which would go a long way to proving doubters wrong.

So far this season, the duo of Tyreece Campbell and Lloyd Jones have emerged as star performers for the South London side, with the former netting four goals.

11 players were added to Charlton's squad throughout the recent window, whilst as many as 14 left The Valley, many of which were on loan deals.

However, it has already been debated which players Jones could move on when the window reopens for business on New Year's Day.

Charlton Athletic urged to part ways with Rob Apter after disappointing move from Blackpool

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Football League World's Charlton Athletic fan pundit, Chris Woodward, believes that the player most likely to leave SE7 in January is right-winger, Rob Apter, who was signed from League One side, Blackpool, for £2m in July 2025.

After penning a four-year contract with the Reds, there were understandable high hopes for the move given the fact he netted eight times in his final season at Bloomfield Road.

However, the 23-year-old has only made 15 appearances for Charlton since then, including just 11 minutes' worth of Championship football this season in the 4-0 loss at Stoke City.

"I'm surprised Rob Apter didn't get a (summer) move, and I expect him to get one in January," Chris told FLW.

"He was always fighting an uphill battle to deserve a chance after a horrific stint at Bolton, which was in a lower division in his favoured position in a good system and team. There were no excuses for him not to perform there.

"He also didn't do himself any favours by wanting the loan move in the first place, as opposed to staying and fighting for his place in the team," he added.

"He's had injury issues but he's not made a single Championship start this season despite not having a natural right-winger, which shows where he is in the pecking order.

"It was no secret we wanted to bring in a right-winger after the Rak-Sakyi deal fell through, which is a position we'll look at in January, and we also have (Junior) Nkeng in that position as well, who's an upcoming youngster that adds competition," Chris continued.

"For whatever reason, this deal hasn't worked out for either party, and both the club and player will probably be happy to see the back of each other as soon as possible."

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As alluded to, Apter's recent struggles were echoed post-January by an underwhelming loan spell at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, despite Bolton Wanderers' return to the Championship.

Apter started nine of his 13 League One outings under Steven Schumacher during a period which saw fellow loanee, Amario Cozier-Duberry, sidelined with a knee ligament issue.

However, the Liverpudlian produced just one assist, ironically, against his former side, Blackpool, before being dropped in the season's final weeks.

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At this stage of his career, Apter needs to be sourcing regular minutes, and it appears as though such opportunities will not come with Charlton despite their lack of depth on the right-flank.

At present, the only way in which a sustained run in the side looks feasible is if Nkeng sustains an injury, with the 19-year-old arriving from AFC Wimbledon in the summer.

However, it remains to be seen if Apter will be sold or, again, loaned out as, in January, the winger will still have over two years remaining on his contract, although the chance of making a profit on the aforementioned £2m fee looks extremely unlikely.