Charlton Athletic boss Lee Bowyer has claimed that there has been no contact from Birmingham City about being the long-term replacement for Pep Clotet.

It was announced during the delay to the EFL season that Clotet would be leaving the Blues at the end of the 2019/20 campaign but he resigned earlier this week following the 3-1 defeat to Swansea City.

First team coach Craig Gardner and senior professional development coach Steve Spooner will take charge of the side against Stoke City on Sunday but a decision is yet to be made beyond that point.

Bowyer, who has done a fantastic job since at Charlton, is reportedly on Birmingham's shortlist to replace Clotet.

Speaking to London News Online, the Addicks boss addressed the links to the Blues job and revealed there hadn't been any contact from the club.

He said: "I’m a young boss who has got a lot of press along the way. I’ve been linked to a few other jobs before, so it doesn’t surprise me that I’m linked to this one.

“There’s been no contact. I had two-and-a-half great years there [at Birmingham]. The last time the club did anything good was when I was a player there and we won the League Cup. But the only thing I’m thinking about is keeping Charlton in the division – that’s it.”

St Andrews does not appear to be the only destination that Bowyer could be leaving the Valley for in the near future, however, as he has also been linked with the vacant job at Bristol City – with Lee Johnson having been sacked earlier this month.

The Charlton boss' main focus, for the time being, will surely be on helping his side secure their Championship survival.

The Addicks currently sit just one point above the bottom three and are one of at least eight sides in the relegation battle, including Birmingham who are three points above them.

Do you know what shirt number each of these 14 Charlton Athletic players wear? Have a go now!

 

 

The Verdict

Bowyer's comments suggest that his full focus is right now is on keeping Charlton in the Championship but he certainly hasn't closed the door on a move in the near future.

You can understand why there seems to be a fair bit of interest around the 43-year-old coach given the impressive job he's done with the Addicks.

With near-constant off-field problems going on at the club, he's taken Charlton into the Championship and had them pushing in the top half before the injury crisis earlier in the season.

It will be interesting to see how things progress, particularly at the end of the season.