Charlton Athletic loanee Jayden Stockley has revealed he hopes to be an Addick once again next season after an impressive start to his temporary stint at The Valley.
The striker arrived for the rest of the season from Preston North End, having only made four starts in the Championship in the first half of the current campaign.
But he's not let a lack of match time slow him down on his arrival in London, scoring four times in 10 appearances for Charlton (per transfermarkt).
Interestingly, all four goals have come with his head, and all have been assisted by Andrew Shinnie, with the two players forming a bit of a prolific partnership.
Lee Bowyer has a wealth of talent at his disposal up-front, with Stockley joining Chuks Aneke, Conor Washington and Ronnie Schwartz as options at the top end of the pitch.
Stockley offers something different to the rest though, with his aerial prowess proving too much to handle for the League One defences he's come up against so far.
All eyes are looking towards the summer though, and with the 27-year-old only having a year left on his deal at North End, it looks as though he sees his future with the Addicks.
“You never know where your career will take you,” Stockley said, per Charlton's official website.
“To have the name of Charlton on your CV is something I’m immensely proud of and it’s a journey that I hope won’t just stop here.
“Part of me could have stayed there [at Preston], kept a place on the bench to come on and play a few. But it’s all about football for me.
"It’s about putting myself out there and realising the sort of player I am again, getting that confidence of scoring goals and getting that drive of football back."
The Verdict
It looks like Stockley could be spending the next few years in the capital if Charlton stump up the money in the summer for his services.
New owner Thomas Sandgaard hasn't been shy to spend his money since taking over, and Charlton having Stockley for a full season would be more-than beneficial for them given the effectiveness he has in the air.
Preston fans have probably seen the goals he's scored for Charlton and wondered why he hasn't been able to do it for their club - the simple matter of it is that Stockley may just not have what it takes for the Championship, and the club could make some of the £750,000 that they paid Exeter City in 2019 back should they want to sell.