Charlton Athletic forward Jonathan Leko has insisted that he feels at home with the Addicks and that he is thoroughly enjoying his loan spell from Birmingham City so far.

Leko endured a difficult time of it at St Andrews after he arrived at Birmingham ahead of the start of last season. The 22-year-old was unable to contribute a single goal or assist in his 38 Championship appearances for the Blues across both last term and the start of this season.

That came after the Blues decided to sign the attacker from West Brom on the back of his impressive performances for Lee Bowyer’s Charlton during a loan spell in the 2019/20 season.

The decision was therefore taken before the summer window closed to allow Leko to move back out on loan to Charlton and try and regain some confidence and form.

The attacker has made a positive difference to Charlton’s squad since returning to the Valley. He was able to deliver his best performance to date on Saturday providing both a goal and an assist as the Addicks secure a much-needed 2-1 win against Fleetwood Town.

That contribution means that Leko has now managed to score two goals and provide two assists in his opening six League One appearances for Charlton this term.

 

 

Speaking to Charlton’s official club website following his impact at Fleetwood, Leko insisted that he is loving life back at the Valley and he just feels at home with the Addicks and that is why they are getting the best out of him.

He said: “I just feel right at home here, the whole club, the fans, everyone is just welcoming. I really love it here, I love playing here. We just need to get some points on the board and carry on this run.”

The verdict

Leko’s loan move from Birmingham to Charlton is proving to be a masterstroke of a decision by all concerned. The attacker already looks a completely different player to the one that we saw for most of his appearances at St Andrews over the past year or so.

The attacker has not had to prove himself to anyone at the Valley because his reputation remained strong at the club following his good form with them in the 2019/20 campaign in the Championship.

He has therefore been able to come straight into the fold and make a difference in a side that has been struggling to find any real momentum so far this season in League One.

This is a huge season for Leko and he needs to start showing that he can be a consistent performer and bring a constant supply of goals and assists to his side.

That is the only way he is going to be able to show Birmingham that he should still have a future at the club when he returns from his second loan spell at Charlton.

The Addicks need Leko to maintain the performance levels that he produced at Fleetwood because they need to start going on a positive run of form now after a very challenging start to the campaign.