Why Charlton Athletic will already be regretting Chelsea transfer mishap | OneFootball

The Addicks missed out on signing the Chelsea striker on deadline day.

Charlton Athletic may live to regret failing to complete the loan signing of Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana on deadline day.

The 22-year-old reportedly attracted interest from a number of clubs across Europe during the summer transfer window, with Toulouse and OGC Nice both linked with a move for him, Serie A clubs said to be tracking him, and Wolverhampton Wanderers also briefly thought to be a possible destination, as per Teamtalk.com.

Fofana turned down Scottish champions Celtic in favour of a loan move to Charlton on deadline day, as per Anthony Joseph via X, but the Addicks were unable to get the deal over the line in time.

Charlton submitted their paperwork to the EFL to sign the Chelsea forward, but they required a deal sheet for extra time to complete the transfer, and there were concerns that everything may not have gone through in time.

The deal ultimately collapsed as it was not completed before the transfer deadline arrived, and Charlton missed out on a signing that would have been a real coup for them as a Championship club.

Charlton Athletic may regret missing out on David Datro Fofana

Charlton may well live to regret failing to sign Fofana on loan from Chelsea on deadline day, as he would have added some real attacking quality to a squad that has only scored twice in four league games so far this season.

The striker joined Chelsea from Molde FK for a fee in the region of £10 million in January 2023, having scored 24 goals in 65 appearances for the Norwegian club. He spent time on loan in Germany with Union Berlin during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring away at Napoli in the UEFA Champions League and against 1.FC Koln in the Bundesliga, before joining Burnley for the second half of the season.

Fofana scored four goals in the Premier League for the Clarets, which suggests he would have been more than capable of being a threat in the final third for Charlton in the Championship if he had completed a temporary switch to SE7 on deadline day.

A knee injury cut short Fofana's loan spell with Turkish Süper Lig side Goztepe last season, so he would have been highly motivated to get back to his best at The Valley, where there is a real need for goals back in the Championship.

There has been some frustration amongst Charlton supporters over the early-season performances of Tyreece Campbell, who played a key role in the Addicks' promotion from League One, and has started each of their four league games so far this term.

The 21-year-old's pace and ability to carry the ball up the pitch is key in Nathan Jones' system, but his output often leaves a lot to be desired - he only scored seven goals and provided one assist in the third tier last season as part of a promoted side - and there have been questions asked over whether he has the quality to score and create regularly in the Championship at this stage of his career.

Fofana is a player with a similar profile to Campbell, but he is a more natural striker, so he might have been able to provide a more consistent end product as well as being a threat on the counter-attack and stretching opposing defences with his pace, as Campbell often does so effectively.

Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals per match than Charlton in the Championship so far this season, despite the Addicks ranking seventh for shots on target per match, eighth for big chances missed, tenth for touches in the opposition box and third for accurate crosses per match, as per FotMob.

Signing a striker with the ability and top flight experience of Fofana could have helped Charlton's goal output better reflect their overall performances, which is why they may live to regret failing to sign him.

David Datro Fofana would have given Nathan Jones another option up front

Charlton boss Nathan Jones will no doubt be frustrated that a loan deal for Fofana could not be completed before the transfer deadline, as the Ivory Coast international is a striker who has previously scored in the Premier League, the Bundesliga, and the UEFA Champions League.

The Addicks currently have Matty Godden, Charlie Kelman, Miles Leaburn, Tyreece Campbell, and Tanto Olaofe as their forward options, but Godden is the only one to have ever scored in the Championship, let alone the top flight.

The former Coventry City man is yet to feature for Charlton this term after undergoing knee surgery during the off-season, meaning Jones has had to rely on strikers who are yet to prove themselves in the second tier.

There is no doubt that Charlton need to find a way to score goals consistently if they are going to be successful this season, so if their current forwards are unable to adapt to the level, they will be left wondering what might have been had they been able to complete a loan deal for Fofana.