Why Charlton Athletic should try sign £10k-p/w Wrexham man and Japanese defender in the first week of January | OneFootball

Nathan Jones will be looking to strengthen his squad during during the transfer window.

Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones will be looking to strengthen his squad during the January transfer window as the Addicks look to be competitive during the second half of the season.

The Addicks made an excellent start to life back in the second tier following their League One play-off triumph at Wembley last term, with victories over well-established clubs such as Sheffield United and Ipswich Town during the early months of the 2025/26 campaign.

However, they have since experienced the reality of being a newly-promoted Championship club, having suffered comprehensive defeats against the likes of Southampton, Stoke City and Coventry City.

There is no doubt that Nathan Jones' primary aim will be to ensure the Addicks avoid suffering relegation at the end of their first season back in the Championship, as they did the last time they played at this level during the 2019/20 season.

Since their busy summer transfer window ended, Charlton have brought in Onel Hernandez and Jerome Roussillon on free transfers, but with January fast approaching, Jones will soon get another opportunity to shape his squad ahead of a vitally important few months leading up to the end of the season in May.

Let's take a look at a couple of players Charlton should consider signing at the start of the January transfer window to really kick-start 2026.

Ryan Hardie

Charlton signed Charlie Kelman from Queens Park Rangers for an initial fee of £3.5 million during the summer transfer window, as well as bringing in Tanto Olaofe from Stockport County in a deal worth around £1.5 million, adding to their options up front which already included Miles Leaburn and Matty Godden.

However, the Addicks' strikers have struggled to score goals on a regular basis in the Championship so far this season, so they may live to regret it if they do not make a new signing in that department during the January transfer window.

Micah Mbick and Daniel Kanu have impressed during their loan spells at Colchester United and Walsall respectively, but recalling them could disrupt their development, and they may not be ready to step into a high pressure environment in the Championship at this stage of their careers.

One player who could be a smart signing is Wrexham's Ryan Hardie, who completed a £700,000 move to Wales from Plymouth Argyle in the summer, but has been considering a January exit in search of regular first-team football, as per an FLW exclusive in November.

The 28-year-old, who as per Capology's estimates earns £10,000 a week at the Racecourse Ground, scored 22 goals in the Championship for Plymouth between 2023 and 2025, so he has proven that he can find the back of the net for a team that is not expected to be at the top end of the table in the second tier, which is just what Charlton need if they want to have confidence in their ability to be competitive during the back end of the season.

Putting faith in Kelman, Leaburn and Olaofe is risky given their output so far this season, and trusting Godden to be the same player after coming back from injury at his age is a risk, while there is no guarantee Mbick or Kanu will recreate their League Two form at a higher level if they are recalled, so signing a new attacker should at least be under consideration at The Valley.

Shinnosuke Fukuda

With Jones no doubt keen to strengthen during the January transfer window, it is almost certain that signing at least one new wing-back is a priority - especially with James Bree's loan stint coming to an end at the start of 2026.

An option in that area of the pitch could be Japanese right-back Shinnosuke Fukuda, who was the subject of a bid from Charlton that was rejected in July.

The Addicks may be able to sign him in January if his current club, Kyoto Sanga, are unable to tie him down to a new deal before his existing terms expire in December.

Fukuda will have ambitions of representing Japan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, and a move to the Championship may well give him a better chance of catching the eyes of national team selectors.

Bringing in a player from the J1 League would certainly be exciting for the supporters in SE7, and Fukuda would not be the first Japanese player to impress in England's second tier if he did come in and do well, so Charlton could well consider revisiting that potential deal next month.