Charlton Athletic told to look at ex-Preston North End midfielder as potential addition | OneFootball

Whilst the loan market should be prioritised, FLW's Addicks fan pundit has plucked out a free agent that Nathan Jones could potentially look into

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 will be hoping for a strong end to the transfer window, after bringing in eight new players so far.

The Addicks added their eighth signing of the summer on Friday when Kaheim Dixon made the move to The Valley from Jamaican club Arnett Gardens, and it comes around the time where they have made a fantastic start to the new League One season.

Charlton have won all three of their opening fixtures of 2024/25, with their midfield three providing great energy throughout, as Nathan Jones' side look for a marked improvement on a disappointing campaign last time out.

The Addicks finished 16th in 2023/24, and were involved in a relegation battle for much of the season before Jones took over in February.

Ex-Southampton boss Jones has made positive changes to his side, including last season, and put together a much better final two months, taking them away from any worries of a surprise drop to League Two, but supporters will still be hoping for more bodies through the door before the window slams shut on August 30.

Charlton Athletic told to bolster midfield ranks before August 30

Despite their impressive start, Charlton do lack numbers in midfield, and bringing in extra bodies for cover could be the best way to end the window.

Although they do have the likes of Terry Taylor to fill in when needed, he could do with game-time elsewhere, and a loan move could be the best thing for him.

FLW's Charlton Fan Pundit, Ben Fleming, would like to see Jones target the middle of the park for new additions, especially by looking into the loan market.

"I think probably one area to improve for me is midfield," Ben told Football League World.

"At the minute we have got Greg Docherty, Luke Berry, Conor Coventry and Karoy Anderson. They seem to be the four that Nathan Jones liked.

"I know he's spoken about Terry Taylor, and he probably should go elsewhere for minutes, and I would imagine Scott Fraser is probably in a similar spot given that neither of them played against Birmingham in the cup.

"If both of them go, I don't really like the idea of having just four central midfielders, especially if we're playing a pretty demanding system where we play three of them.

"So I definitely think that could be one position where we look to use the loan market after the permanent window shuts."

Charlton Athletic could look into Josh Onomah as short-term solution

Although there may be panic across the EFL ahead of the deadline, Charlton must not get involved, and must make the correct decisions when signing any new players.

There are plenty of midfielders available on the market, and if he can be brought up to fitness quickly, Josh Onomah has been picked out by FLW's Addicks fan pundit Ben as a potential player of interest.

The 27-year-old has been a free agent since he left Preston North End in 2023, and has been on trial at Blackpool this summer, but is still yet to sign a contract anywhere.

Ben added.

"He was on trial at Blackpool for a bit this summer and I don't know whether they're going to make that deal.

"I can’t tell whether Jones would want him because, obviously, it's going to have to be a pretty decent effort to get him back up to match fitness, and he’ll probably want someone who can come in and immediately provide cover.

"That was one of the names that I saw, but otherwise I think it's going to be about using the loan market as best we can."