"There is a place for him" - Charlton Athletic verdict given as "big-money" arrival struggles | OneFootball

The forward has struggled to make an impact since moving to The Valley last summer

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 pushed the boat out to sign Gassan Ahadme from Ipswich Town last summer.

The Addicks reportedly paid a seven-figure fee for the Moroccan marksman. Much was expected of the striker, who had excelled at Cambridge United the season before, but he is yet to catch fire at The Valley, with just one league goal from his 17 outings so far this season.

With the likes of Tyreece Campbell, Matty Godden, and Miles Leaburn all above him in the pecking order right now, the forward is yet to feature in League One since the turn of the year, with injury issues not helping his cause for regular game time for Nathan Jones’ side.

With that in mind, we spoke to Football League World’s Charlton fan pundit Ben Fleming about the attacker’s position at the club right now, and what he expects to happen with him over the summer.

Gassan Ahadme fails to catch fire after Charlton Athletic move

Having netted eleven times in 29 league appearances for Cambridge last season, Ahadme was considered one of the sharpest shooters in the third tier ahead of his summer move to The Valley, but since the summer he has been anything but clinical.

A solitary league goal all the way back in September is all the Moroccan has to show for his efforts in League One throughout the current campaign, with a foot injury not helping his cause in recent weeks.

With plenty of firepower to choose from up top right now, Jones’ side have had no problem finding the back of the net, with Ahadme the man to miss out, having not been involved in a match day squad since the first weekend of 2025.

As the Addicks continue to push for a play-off place, his return to action doesn’t look all that likely anytime soon, which has left Fleming in something of a conundrum regarding his long-term future in the capital.

The Athletic fan said of Ahadme when quizzed on his situation: “It is a tricky one with Ahadme at the minute. Obviously, it was more of a big-money spend in the summer, although I have seen conflating reports about how much we actually spent.

“He had a bit of a spell out, but I am pretty sure he is fit now, although Nathan Jones is pretty coy with injuries. I think at the minute for him now it is just a case of depth.

“Tyreece Campbell and Matty Godden seem to be forming a good partnership, and with Miles Leaburn coming off the bench, Dan Kanu coming off the bench, and Chuks Aneke, so that would make him sixth choice up front to lead the line.

“He did start a lot of games at the start of the season when Leaburn was not quite fit or injured, Godden wasn’t firing as well as he was and Dan Kanu was out with injury as well.

“I still think there is a place for him in this team, I don’t think we necessarily saw the best of him at the start of the season, but I think it is fair to say when he was in the team we weren’t at our most fluent creatively.

“I don’t know if that is a reflection on him necessarily, but more that we took time to grow into the season in terms of the style and the way that Nathan Jones wanted to play.”

Charlton Athletic may be tempted to take Gassan Ahadme action in the summer

Ahadme’s spell in the first team with Charlton coincided with their mediocre start to the season, where they couldn’t put together a run of form capable of keeping pace with those in the leading pack at the top of the division.

The Addicks only put together back-to-back wins once before Christmas, but have found the magic formula in the last couple of months, with just two defeats in their last 13 league matches putting them on the precipice of a play-off position.

Whether that is a personnel or system issue, Fleming is unsure, but with the current evidence as it is, he wouldn’t be all too surprised to see Charlton’s big-money signing depart the club after just a year if the right offer comes around during the off-season.

He continued: “Maybe it isn’t a coincidence that we are not now better, more free-flowing and creating more chances now that he is out of the team, but I wouldn’t pin that all on him, I think it was more of a case that the team has evolved and progressed over the season.

“Maybe if he had been the one coming in like Leaburn and Godden have been in the second half of the season he would have benefited as much as they have because it is just the way the team has evolved over the course of the season.

“So I think there is still probably a space for him in the squad, but whether he is happy with the fact he is not getting involved in match day squads is another question. I do wonder whether it could be a case of if a team wants to buy him they entertain offers because you don’t really want someone who you paid a significant amount of money for not getting into match day squads.

“We will see what happens because I would be surprised if Chuks Aneke stays around, so that would bump him up the order. Then maybe he could be the other guy, but while Godden and Tyreece Campbell are starting, we are always going to bring on someone like Leaburn if we need a bit of physicality rather than someone like Ahadme.

“It’s a tricky one, I think I would probably like to see him stay; I don’t think we have seen the best of him in a Charlton shirt and I think he could be an asset in League One. Equally, I don’t know if I would be entirely surprised if we looked to cut our losses and move him on, because if you are not getting in a match day squad when you are fit, and we do play two up top, then it’s not exactly a great indication.”