Charlton Athletic have enjoyed a fairly steady start to the League One season.
Ben Garner’s side draw a lot of games but even just turning a small percentage of those draws into wins would see an upturn in league position.
In such a competitive League One table, those fine margins could change everything.
However, if Charlton are going to get serious about a sustained push for the top-six, they are going to have to make use of the January transfer window that’s to come at the start of 2023.
Although it’s traditionally a tough window to deal in, there’s plenty of getable players out there that would improve Charlton.
We take a look at THREE areas they could realistically strengthen here:
Striker
Charlton saw a late summer move to bring Macauley Bonne back to the club collapse on deadline day, underlining their desire to strengthen their attacking unit.
Bonne played for Charlton during the 2019/20 season, scoring 11 times in the Championship for the Addicks.
Since then he’s moved on and played for QPR (pictured) and Ipswich Town, scoring 12 times in League One for the latter last season.
He’s hardly at the forefront of QPR’s plans now in the Championship, which might open the door for Charlton to finally get a deal for him over the line in January to strengthen their striking options.
Centre-back
A bit more balance at the back would be beneficial for Charlton.
They’ve got a depth of centre-back options, yet all four of those players are right-footed, which is a problem for Garner when it comes to striking a balance playing out from the back.
A left-footed centre-back option, then, would be welcome in the winter window.
Whilst a name doesn’t quite stand out like Bonne in the striking department, you wonder how someone like Luke Mbete might come back on the market.
He’s having a tough spell in the Championship with Huddersfield Town and doesn’t look ready for the level. If he’s recalled by Manchester City in the January transfer window and sent back out on loan, Charlton feel like they’d be a good fit in League One.
Left-back
Finally, Charlton want to be looking for a touch more at left-back.
Steven Sessegnon has proved to be fairly unreliable so far this season with his fitness, which has forced others to play there out of possession.
Just a steady option on the left of defence would be really useful for Charlton moving forwards, easing pressure on Sessegnon’s availability and allowing others to play in their favoured positions.