Fresh claim made on Matty Godden situation at Charlton Athletic - 'I wouldn't be surprised' | OneFootball

The experienced striker is still making his way back from knee surgery at present

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…

It has been an extremely positive return to the Championship for Charlton Athletic, and one which continued on Tuesday night with a 1-0 success over West Bromwich Albion.

Despite being tipped for a potential season of struggle by many, Nathan Jones' side have continued to defy those expectations heading into November, as they returned to the play-off places with a sixth win of the season inside the opening 14 games.

Unsurprisingly, much of the Addicks' success under the Welshman has been built on defensive solidity, with all 16 goals scored thus far shared throughout the squad as Sonny Carey tops the individual charts at The Valley with five goals in 14 appearances.

Despite being the best-performing side of the three which were promoted out of League One - alongside Birmingham City and Wrexham - Jones' striking options haven't exactly been firing on all cylinders on the goalscoring front, despite the presence of summer signings, Charlie Kelman and Isaac Olaofe helping their side become one of the strongest sides when it comes to intense pressing throughout their encounters.

Only three times this season have the South London side scored more than once in a game, with such circumstances occurring in victories over Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield Wednesday and newly-relegated Ipswich Town.

As such, it has become a hot topic of discussion amongst supporters as to how much gametime experienced frontman, Matty Godden, will receive once his recovery from knee surgery is fully complete.

The 34-year-old is also out-of-contract in SE7 in June, although there is a possibility his time with the club could last a further year.

Speaking to Football League World, our Addicks fan pundit, Chris, believes Godden will have a big part to play when he returns to fitness.

"Confident" Charlton Athletic, Matty Godden claim made amid injury, contract situation

Godden penned an initial two-year deal with Charlton last summer, joining from Coventry City for an undisclosed fee.

During his first season with the London side, the previous Sky Blues hotshot certainly filled the void left by Alfie May's departure to Birmingham City, scoring 22 goals in all competitions across 49 appearances.

The most important of those would come in the League One play-off semi-final second-leg against Wycombe Wanderers at The Valley, where his instinctive finish took Charlton to Wembley, before they defeated Leyton Orient in the showpiece event to earn promotion.

Godden, who scored 32 goals in 117 previous Championship games, remained absent from the squad against the Baggies on Tuesday as he continues his recovery.

However, Chris believes he could still end up as Charlton's leading marksman come May, although Jones' men aren't notorious for creating a glut of chances in games.

"It's up for debate within the fanbase as to how Godden will be used when he returns, and how he will impact our side," he told FLW.

"There's no denying he was our best attacker last season. He scored 18 goals in just 29 league starts, 19 if we include the play-offs.

"He was a massive reason behind our sudden upturn in form from January which saw us get promoted, and as a result, became a big fan favourite," our fan pundit added.

"Our current forward-line has definitely struggled in terms of finding the back of the net this season, with our four forwards contributing just three goals in 14 games.

"Whilst they contribute in terms of how we play as a pressing, aggressive, physical side, none of them compare remotely close to Godden in terms of his finishing and movement in the box that made him so prolific last season, in a side that doesn't create a huge number of chances," Chris explained.

"We signed Charlie Kelman as a project, who we hope to mould into a player similar to that of Godden. Whilst his shooting has looked impressive in the very few opportunites he's had, his link-up play and movement to get into the positions to receive those chances to score, definitely need lots of work.

"With his age, injury issues and the fact he was deemed not good enough at this level by Coventry, it suggests that it could be a step too far to replicate his form from the back end of last season.

"With Jones' intense style, and the fact he has shown in the past that he likes to slowly integrate injured players back into the squad, Godden won't be thrown straight back in and will need to bide his time before getting regular opportunites again," our fan pundit claimed.

"However, since he offers something completely different to our other forwards with his experience, intelligence and with our forwards not firing on all cylinders, I'm confident his time in a Charlton shirt isn't done just yet.

"He's already been doing fitness work and the rumour is he'll be back just shy of December.

"With games coming thick and fast, there'll definitely be chances for Godden. Whilst I don't think he'll be seen as invaluable as he was last season, and would most likely share gametime with our other forwards, I can definitely see a positive impact.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he was to stay fit for the rest of the year, that he finishes as our top scorer and gives Nathan Jones a real argument for triggering the extra year on his contract," Chris concluded.

Matty Godden will offer Charlton Athletic a different dimension when fit

At present, Godden is the oldest member of the Addicks' ranks, showcasing why his experience when back fit, will be invaluable for his side.

He managed to hit double-figures at Championship level as recently as 2021/22, where he netted 12 times for Coventry under Mark Robins, which will add further encouragement.

On top of his own attributes, his presence on the field will also be a major benefit to Kelman and Olaofe, who have failed to make serious impressions on the goalscoring front as of yet. In particular, Kelman, who was signed for a reported £5m from QPR.