Charlton Athletic hopes to complete transfer business fast this summer.
Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones hinted at another transfer when the club announced the acquisition of Cambridge United goalkeeper Will Mannion on Monday morning.
The shot-stopper moved to The Valley when his contract with the Addicks’ League One opponents expired. Mannion will add competition for the first-choice goalkeeper position, with Harry Isted and Ashley Maynard-Brewer connected with departures from the club. Jones welcomed Mannion, who made 14 League One appearances last season and played a major role in the U’s late survival battle, to the club in a message posted on the official Charlton website.
Jones also assured supporters that the team was looking for another goalkeeper, stating that they would not only be League One quality but also Championship-ready. The Welshman stated, “He [Mannion] is an experienced goalkeeper.” We want to develop every department over the summer, which is a busy recruitment period for us. We identified Will as a very good goalkeeper who had done quite well at Cambridge, and he performed admirably against us in the game that he played. He has a great size profile, is on his way up, is very hungry, and wants to play at a better level. That was what drew us to him. “He’ll be a great competitor for those we hire in that sector, and he’s obviously a talented individual. We intend to improve the department. We’re hoping to bring in two goalkeepers with a competitive edge, two who we believe can play not only at this level, but also at the next level.” Jones went on to say that he thinks all of the club’s transfer business would be completed by June 27th, when the first squad returns for pre-season duty. The management admitted that the strategy was ‘bold’.
He added: “I’m confident that by the first day of pre-season, we’ll have the majority, if not all, of our players in place. That is critical since pre-season is a critical period for the squad to gel and establish the groundwork.
“We believe we have reached an agreement with a few, which will be publicized in due course. But we strive to keep things in-house and quiet because all of the signings and people we’re discussing with will face stiff competition from higher leagues and many teams in our division.”
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