Charlton Athletic may have dodged a bullet after Chelsea transfer broke down - Peter Ridsdale has hinted at it | OneFootball

Peter Ridsdale's comments on a failed Preston North End transfer deal may intrigue Charlton Athletic after their pursuit of David Datro Fofana.

It is fair to say that it was a busy summer transfer window for Charlton Athletic following their promotion to the Championship.

Charlton secured promotion back to the Championship following a five-year absence after victory over Leyton Orient in last season's League One play-off final, but rather than remaining loyal to those who helped them to success at Wembley, manager Nathan Jones made plenty of changes to his squad over the summer.

The Addicks brought in no fewer than 10 new signings this summer, with Thomas Kaminski, James Bree, Reece Burke, Amari'i Bell, Joe Rankin-Costello, Rob Apter, Sonny Carey, Harvey Knibbs, Isaac Olaofe and Charlie Kelman all arriving at The Valley during an eye-catching transfer window.

A number of members of the promotion-winning squad departed, including the likes of Tennai Watson, Thierry Small and Chuks Aneke, while Alex Mitchell, Terry Taylor, Gassan Ahadme and Daniel Kanu are among those who have made loan moves away from the club.

Charlton managed to get one deal over the line on deadline day, with defender Bree joining on loan from Southampton, but while there was initially frustration among supporters that the club missed out on Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana, they may now be breathing a sigh of relief.

Fofana is one of a number of players who are currently training away from the Chelsea first-team squad after being informed that they have no future at the club by manager Enzo Maresca, and he was at the heart of a dramatic deadline day transfer saga.

It was initially reported on Monday afternoon that Preston North End were the favourites to land Fofana's signature, but Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, whose need for a new number nine has been well-documented, then emerged in the race.

Talks were believed to have been held over a deal that would have seen Fofana make the move to Celtic, and with the Scottish transfer window open until 11pm, as opposed to 7pm in England, it seemed that Glasgow was his most likely destination.

However, it was then revealed that Fofana favoured a move to Charlton over Celtic, but his proposed switch to The Valley fell through as the Addicks failed to complete the necessary paperwork on a deal sheet on time, meaning the 22-year-old will have to remain at Stamford Bridge until January, unless he secures a move to Turkey or Saudi Arabia with the transfer window still open in those countries.

Charlton supporters were disappointed by the club's failure to finalise a deal for Fofana before the window closed, but after comments made by Preston chief executive, Peter Ridsdale, in which he suggested that one of the Lilywhites' loan targets would not have been fully fit for at least a few months, they may now feel they have dodged a bullet.

"We did talk about two or three others. One was, we were told not fit to start and therefore it would’ve taken some time to get him up to speed. Given he was a loan, it didn't make any sense," Ridsdale told the Lancashire Post.

"What's the point of taking a loan who is not going to be fit until halfway through the loan?"

Charlton Athletic should not be too disappointed by David Datro Fofana transfer miss

It is not certain that Ridsdale is referring to Fofana, but given that he has been out since December with a knee injury, it is fair to assume that he would take some time to get back up to speed, while the other striker Preston were linked with on deadline day - Sheffield United's Tom Cannon - has featured in all five of his side's fixtures this season without any sign of fitness issues.

As Ridsdale himself said, it would make little sense to sign a player who could not perform at his peak until a few months into his loan spell, and even if he was fully fit, Fofana's recent goalscoring record suggests he may have been a risky addition for Charlton anyway.

Fofana was a prolific scorer during his time at Norwegian side Molde, and that convinced Chelsea to sign him in January 2023, but he has made just four appearances for the Blues in the last two-and-a-half years, while he has also had a number of underwhelming loans away from Stamford Bridge.

The Ivorian scored two goals in 17 appearances for Union Berlin in the Bundesliga before netting just four times in 15 games during a temporary spell at Burnley, and he only got on the scoresheet twice in nine games for Goztepe last season before injury cut his stint in Turkey short.

Having scored just two goals in their first four games back in the Championship, it is easy to see why Charlton were keen to bring in extra firepower before the end of the window, and with Matty Godden currently sidelined with injury, Jones is left with Olaofe, Kelman, Miles Leaburn and Tyreece Campbell, all of whom are unproven at second tier level.

With that in mind, a player of Fofana's undoubted potential could have been a real asset for the Addicks this season, but if he was not going to be fit enough to make an immediate impact at The Valley, he could have proved to be a big transfer mistake.