Investment potentially looms: Claim made on Charlton Athletic ownership - "Considering where we were" | OneFootball

The Addicks have enjoyed success since Global Football Partners completed their takeover in 2023.

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 have gone from being stranded in League One to being competitive in the Championship since Global Football Partners completed a takeover of the club in 2023.

GFP, which made the acquisition of the club via its UK subsidiary SE7 Partners, has overseen a number of improvements both on and off the pitch.

The Addicks won promotion to the Championship via the League One play-offs last season, which was largely down to the appointment of Nathan Jones as manager, as well as investment in the playing squad to bring in the likes of Matty Godden, Kayne Ramsay and Conor Coventry.

Charlton's owners have also allowed the club to tie down key players, such as Lloyd Jones, to new contracts, rather than being forced to lose important squad members towards the end of their deals, as was the case with Corey Blackett-Taylor and George Dobson a few months prior to the takeover.

The owners have also enabled the club to give long-term contracts to exciting young players like Ibrahim Fullah and Micah Mbick, while the stadium and training ground have also been invested in, which has put the club in a stronger position to build a competitive squad over the coming years.

The most recent summer transfer window saw significant investment in the playing squad, with Charlie Kelman, Rob Apter, Harvey Knibbs and Tanto Olaofe all brought in for seven-figure fees, so it is clear that the owners have ambitions to continue taking the club forward.

Nathan Jones signed a new five-year contract in the summer, and he praised the owners in an interview via the club website earlier this season.

"The owners have Charlton at heart," he said.

"We're aligned as a football club — this is a project we want to see right through."

Charlton owners praised for their impact at The Valley

We asked our Charlton fan pundit, Chris Woodward, how happy he is with the Addicks' current ownership situation, and where he would rank it on a scale of one to 10.

"Considering where we were before the current ownership came in, compared to where we are now, I think it is difficult to argue that they deserve anything less than a nine out of 10," Chris said.

"The result of our three previous ownerships left us on the brink of extinction, and when we barely survived we were hung out to dry and left in arguably the club's worst position in our history.

"Our new ownership, SE7 Partners, came in the summer of 2023, and despite a poor season where we finished 16th that year, it was clear that they had too many issues to fix in one season from the neglect the previous owners had shown.

"Instead of accepting these new standards as the norm, the new ownership group not only invested heavily in the playing squad, they recruited an exceptional manager, backroom staff, proper footballing people in the boardroom, as well as putting money into the stadium and training ground.

"Besides a few photos of Gabriel Brener and Joshua Friedman, who are reportedly our biggest investors, the owners very much like to stay behind the scenes and leave the running of the club to footballing figures with a deeper knowledge of the game.

"Despite not being vocal public figures, they have transformed our club from a laughing stock to a well-run, proper football club in just over two years.

"I am delighted to see how far we have come as a club, and I think it will be hard to find a Charlton fan who doesn't appreciate all they have done for us."

Charlton owners are seeking new investment

Global Football Partners are said to be looking to sell a 20% stake in the club for £20 million, as per journalist Matt Slater, who has reported that they have asked merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners to look for a new partner.

Championship rivals Ipswich Town and Wrexham have recently sold stakes, and Charlton are believed to be the next second tier club that could do the same.

Charlton supporters will no doubt be encouraged by these latest developments, and it will be interesting to see whether the club completes any significant deals during the upcoming January transfer window to improve their situation on the pitch, while the owners look to take another step in the right direction behind the scenes.