Ben Garner has revealed that Charlton Athletic were already aware of right-back Mandela Egbo, before his appointment as Addicks manager.

Garner was named Charlton manager earlier this summer, leaving the same role at League Two side Swindon Town to take chare at The Valley.

The new Charlton boss made his second signing of the summer transger window on Tuesday, with Egbo joining the club on a free transfer.

Prior to his move to The Valley, Egbo had spent the second half of last season at Swindon, making 11 appearances for the robins under Garner.

Now however, it seems that the 24-year-old is a player the Addicks may have been considering this summer, even if Garner had not come into the club as manager.

Speaking about the process that led to Egbo joining Charlton, Garner was quoted by The South London Press as saying: “It was an interesting one because Steve [Gallen] and Martin [Sandgaard] had come to watch a Swindon game at the end of last season.

“They’d seen Mandela but didn’t know a lot about him because he had been abroad and not on the radar of everybody because he had not been playing too much in the EFL.

“So when I brought his name up, he said: ‘We remember him, that’s an interesting one’. When we started going through right-backs with the profile we’d put together he was a perfect fit. I’m really pleased we all agreed and delighted to have him here.”

Egbo has signed a two-year contract with Charlton, securing his future at The Valley until the end of the 2023/24 season.

The Verdict

This certainly looks like a deal with the potential to work out rather well for Charlton.

With Chris Gunter and Adam Matthews both leaving the club this summer following the expiration of their contracts, the Addicks did need some reinforcement at right-back ahead of the new season.

That is something they have now got with the signing of Egbo, and the fact he is familiar with Garner could certainly help him to settle in, and play to his peak level.

The fact he was available on a free also benefits Charlton from a financial perspective, meaning this does seem as though it may prove a decent piece of business by the club.