Charlton Athletic may be regretting the fact they don't have an extended international break to give themselves the chance to reset following their underwhelming start to the 2022/23 campaign.

Under Ben Garner who took Swindon Town close to promotion last season, the Addicks would have been hoping to spend the entire campaign at the right end of the division but things aren't going according to plan at this stage.

The one positive for them is the fact there's still a long way to go and they have shown some promising signs, with their 5-1 victory against current league leaders Plymouth Argyle earlier in the season showing how good they can be.

 

 

Garner's side also have the opportunity to get themselves away from league action today as they take on Stockport County in the FA Cup, though it remains to be seen whether this will be beneficial for them.

A cup upset could see discontent at The Valley rise and that's the last thing they need as they look to drag themselves up the table in the coming months and force their way into the promotion mix.

They will need their most valuable players to step up though - and we're taking a look at five of their most financially valuable assets in this piece (according to Transfermarkt).

5 - Jesurun Rak-Sakyi (€500,000)

Recording five goals and two assists in 16 league appearances this term, that's not a bad total at all and it will certainly impress parent club Crystal Palace who will be keeping a close eye on him.

Establishing himself as a regular starter, you feel he will make one or two steps up the English football pyramid if he can continue to develop and keep tallying up goals and assists between now and the end of the campaign.

He wasn't short of interest in the summer and you feel it will be the same story again next year, with a move to the Championship potentially on the horizon.

The 20-year-old can't afford to rest on his laurels though - because Malcolm Ebiowei will be competing with him for a first-team spot in Palace's squad in the coming years.

4 - Chuks Aneke (€500,000)

Aneke was perhaps unlucky to be sold by Birmingham in January - because he deserved more time to adapt to life at St Andrew's and prove his worth after shining at The Valley during his first spell there.

Spending the early stages of the campaign out of action, he returned in October but hasn't been able to replicate his form from recent seasons and that's perhaps no surprise considering his early-season absence.

Registering just one goal and one assist in seven league appearances during 2022/23 so far, his record simply has to improve if he wants to be a regular starter.

In fairness to him though, he's only had a very limited amount of time to impress.

3 - Steven Sessegnon (€700,000)

Registering 15 appearances in all competitions this season, he has recently established himself as a regular starter again and he will be hoping to retain his spot in the first 11 for the foreseeable future.

Able to operate on both sides, that will only help him in this quest but after failing to record a single assist in the league so far this season, he will be hoping to contribute more in the final third.

He registered two assists against Coalville in the FA Cup earlier this month so he certainly has an attacking side to his game - but he needs to show that in the third tier if he wants this loan spell to be classed as a successful one.

At 22, he needs to focus on putting himself in the shop window so this will be a crucial season for him.

2 - Scott Fraser (€700,000)

Scoring three goals and recording two assists in 18 league displays, he hasn't endured the worst 2022/23 campaign but he will be hoping to contribute even more from midfield between now and the end of the season.

Although Albie Morgan's presence means Fraser isn't all on his own in his quest to be an attacking threat from midfield, the latter is still young and this is why the latter needs to take games by the scruff of the neck and put his stamp on games to give his side the best chance of climbing up the table.

He scored 14 league goals for MK Dons during the 2020/21 season, it doesn't seem as though he will replicate that record this term but he has already been more successful than he was with Ipswich Town during 2020/21.

1 - Jayden Stockley (€900,000)

With Aneke spending time on the sidelines and not being able to make a huge impact, there's a huge amount of pressure on Stockley to perform but his CV suggests he can score the goals needed to fire the Addicks into the play-offs.

Scoring just twice in the third tier during 2022/23 though, it's perhaps this poor goalscoring form that has contributed to the Addicks' underwhelming league position of 14th.

It's unfair to blame their position on him - but he needs to find ways of getting in and amongst the goals more often and many would back him to do so considering how well he did last season and how prolific he was at Exeter City.