Lee Bowyer believes several new players are needed if Charlton are to be ready for the Championship, and has admitted to TalkSport that it will be a challenge to compete next year.

The main reason behind that is Charlton will have the smallest budget in the league according to Bowyer, and will start pre-season behind everyone else due to takeover talks still ongoing and the delay in Bowyer signing a new deal.

Added to that, they have less than ten first team players in the squad currently due to the departure of Patrick Bauer and another who looks set to leave - Joe Aribo.

Speaking to TalkSport, Bowyer said: "Everyone knows that division is very tough. It is a tough league to stay in, and we will have the smallest budget in the league, there is no hiding from that.

“We have got to try and persuade players to come on a small wage, but we will give them a chance to prove themselves in the Championship.

“We need to bring in a new goalkeeper, we need full-backs, centre halves, midfielders and strikers."

Charlton have lost several players since the play-off final, either those who's loan spells have ended or been released, so Bowyer and Head of Recruitment Steve Gallen have a busy summer ahead.

“We had five loans last season and they have all gone back, and we have let five or six go, so that is 11 gone," added Bowyer.

"We have to replace all of them, and the difficult thing is doing that with better than what we had."

The Verdict

Bowyer signing was an important step for Charlton but there is still some doubt over the immediate future with the takeover still yet to happen. As a result, Charlton will not be able to spend as much as they would have liked and will be on the look out for bargains this summer.

The capture of Macauley Bonne was one such bargain at only £200k, but with so many positions needing new additions Charlton may find their budget stretched. Moreover, losing Aribo and Bauer is a massive blow, but made even worse by the fact that both will go for way below their valuation.

Gallen and Bowyer have an unenviable task ahead this summer, but perhaps the lure of the Championship and working for Bowyer will be enough to bring in the quality to keep them up.