Charlton Athletic's Conor Coventry told he's got "10x the ability" of George Dobson - Wrexham fans may disagree | OneFootball

FLW's Charlton fan pundit has been discussing who the Addicks' most important player might be.

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 are one of the Championship's surprise packages through the early exchanges of the 2025/26 season.

Nathan Jones' side are flirting with the play-off places after eight games, with three wins, three draws and two defeats culminating in the Addicks having 12 points to their name so far this term.

One of their toughest tests awaits them this weekend, however, as Jones takes his team to fellow early-season surprise top-six contenders Preston North End on Saturday, with the Lilywhites yet to taste defeat on home soil this season.

Unbeaten in their last four league games, Charlton are hoping to go into the October international break with continued momentum, and having sent a clear message to the rest of the second tier that they are a genuine play-off contender in their first campaign back in the division.

"Undroppable" - Charlton Athletic's Conor Coventry handed comparison claim with Wrexham's George Dobson

Football League World spoke with our resident Charlton Athletic fan pundit, Sam White, to pose the question: 'Is Conor Coventry Charlton Athletic's most important player?'

Sam said: "Conor Coventry: he came in with big shoes to fill in terms of needing to be George Dobson's replacement.

"I think he was obviously earmarked to be that replacement when Dobson left. I think Coventry sort of struggled at the start, but over the last season and this season has showed that he has 10x the ability of Dobson in there.

"So much more potential, and a better all-round footballer, in my opinion. He keeps the midfield ticking over. He's arguably the one that's going to be putting his body on the line first - along with others, don't get me wrong.

"But equally, he's going to be the one that's on the edge of the box, ready to spank it towards goal, or even getting out to the wing and lead on an attack.

"Is he the most important player? I would say it's probably between him and Lloyd Jones, or even Josh Edwards.

"But definitely, definitely all three, and in particular Conor Coventry, has proved that he's almost undroppable."

Wrexham fans may disagree that Conor Coventry is 10x the player that George Dobson is

There won't be too many Wrexham fans wishing they could swap George Dobson for Conor Coventry.

Likewise, that sentiment can probably be safely applied the other way round for Charlton supporters too, as their number six has established himself as a vital cog in Jones' team.

Dobson was an excellent servant to the Addicks, making 144 appearances, scoring six times and providing 11 assists between 2021-2024, starting all but one of his 126 League One games as a Charlton player.

However, the 27-year-old left The Valley in the summer of 2024 to join the Wrexham revolution, and once again, he's instantly become an integral member of Phil Parkinson's starting XI at the Racecourse Ground.

He's also brushed aside any Wrexham concerns over his ability to make the step-up to Championship level too, and looks set to form a very solid and strong central midfield partnership with new Red Dragons signing Ben Sheaf moving forward.

Meanwhile, Coventry is a couple of years younger than Dobson, and equally has made a seamless transition to second tier football with the Addicks, having joined the club in January 2024 from West Ham United.

The 25-year-old started 44 regular season League One games for Charlton last term, as well as playing all 90 minutes in the three play-off games, as Charlton secured their return to the second tier at Wembley Stadium.

Ahead of their aforementioned clash with Preston this weekend, Coventry has started all eight Championship games so far, and has performed his metronomic role in the Addicks midfield to perfection: breaking up play, recycling possession, creating chances for teammates - he does it all in Jones' system.

Therefore, it's safe to say that both sets of supporters will be more than happy with the central midfielder they've got, and the two will be looking forward to facing off against each other for the first time this season on 8 November.