Charlton Athletic told they did not need David Datro Fofana transfer - "Something isn't right" though | OneFootball

As outlined by FLW's Fan Pundit, Charlton Athletic's reported move for Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana appeared a bizarre one.

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…

Following their promotion back to the Championship last season, via winning the play-offs, Charlton Athletic have started the season steadily, with Nathan Jones backed heavily by the club to create a competitive Addicks squad.

Jones, who signed a new five-year deal early in the summer, has massively bolstered the Charlton squad, and they have shown signs of being able to be more than competitive in the second-tier.

However, a recent 3-1 loss to Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road in their final game before the September international break did suggest there could yet be a few more growing pains, and the squad may again need to be strengthened.

Charlton Athletic’s unusual link to David Datro Fofana

On deadline day, Charlton brought in defender James Bree on a long loan deal until January from Southampton, with Bree having worked with Jones at Luton Town in the past.

They were also linked with a move for Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana, though, too, with that proposed loan deal falling through at the eleventh hour after Charlton had seen off Celtic's interest in signing him. An issue with the deal sheet looked to be its downfall.

FLW's Charlton Fan Pundit Emma Harknett went on to outline that the deal appeared to be a bit of an odd move given the business that they have done in that area of the pitch.

Emma says: “To be honest, when that news came out I thought it was a bit strange, because, obviously, in the summer we signed Tanto Olaofe, Charlie Kelman, and we have Miles Leaburn, Matty Godden and Tyreece Campbell.

“The thing is that, at the moment, Nathan Jones isn’t even playing Charlie Kelman or Tanto Olaofe, so I don’t know why we would need another striker.

“Something isn’t right in our striking department. I don’t know what it is, I don’t know whether it is the set-up that isn’t working with the 3-5-2, because when we go into attack, we play more with one up-front with Miles Leaburn.

“Leaburn has really stepped up this season, and I have been quite impressed with him. He’s winning all the headers up there but Tyreece isn’t up there to win the flick-ons or run on to those flick-ons.

“For me, I would really like to see more of Tanto Olaofe, because I think he could offer a great deal to this time, and I know that speaking to many Stockport fans that the kind of player he is, and we’ve seen him once work with Miles Leaburn in the cup when we played Stevenage and those two looked unbelievable up-front together, and he hasn’t really been given a chance since then, and seems to be sticking with Tyreece.

“We’re obviously not really scoring, so something is not quite right.

“Do I think that another striker is the answer to that? No, not really.

“When we’ve got £5 million worth of talent on the bench, then why are you going to bring in another striker? It doesn’t really make sense to me.

“If he is available in January, then obviously we’ll see where we are in the league, and how we are in the scoring tables. Then, yes, if he’s still available, then let’s go for it.

“I think that it was a bit of an odd one, and if we brought in another striker then we possibly would have seen one leave. I think we may have too many. Bearing in mind, we’ve also sent Dan Kanu and Gassan Ahadme both out on loan, so no, it is not an area that I would’ve really brought more players in to as we aren’t giving a chance to the players we already have.”

Charlton Athletic will compete in the Championship without David Datro Fofana

Having spent six seasons down in League One, Charlton had stagnated, but the South Londoners now find themselves back at a level where their fanbase will believe they belong.

As they head into the rest of the campaign, former Stoke City and Southampton boss Jones has shown he is more than capable of getting teams to punch above their weight with excellent tactical pragmatism and effort.

Charlton, despite their eye-catching business, will remain one of the weaker sides in the division, but their coach and the players brought in to supplement a relatively strong and cohesive squad should ensure they remain competitive.

One issue, and it has been an issue for Jones' teams in the past, would be the lack of goalscoring, but Charlton do have an abundance of options up-front, and their interest in Fofana could always be revisited when things are a bit clearer.

However, having spent so much on Kelman from QPR, it is well worth ensuring he is given the time to prove himself to be the main man at The Valley. If he proves himself, Charlton will be competitive without Fofana.