League One's biggest transfer saga has finally come to an end as Jayden Stockley has chosen his next destination.

It looked as though early yesterday he would be heading back to the south coast and returning to Portsmouth - a place where he played on loan during the 2015-16 campaign.

A deal had been reached between Pompey and Preston North End but Charlton Athletic swooped late in the day and it caused Stockley to make a u-turn as he headed back to the club he spent the second half of last season on loan with.

Stockley's permanent transfer to the Addicks was confirmed this afternoon and he will be looking to add to the eight goals he notched in 22 League One outings last season.

 

 

 

 

Nigel Adkins clearly liked what he saw from Stockley since arriving at the club as Lee Bowyer's successor in March to pursue his signing, and he's commented on his excitement at bringing the 27-year-old back to The Valley.

The Verdict

It would have been a shame for Charlton if they lost out on Stockley to Portsmouth, especially considering how effective he was under Adkins.

In recent days it looked as though Pompey and Danny Cowley had become the front-runners, with Charlton's interest going very quiet but things were clearly being done behind the scenes by Thomas Sandgaard to get a deal done.

With Stockley's permanent arrival, it looks as though Charlton and Adkins will be going direct again to the big man next season - it may not be pretty at times but it's certainly effective and Addicks fans won't care what the style of play is as long as promotion to the Championship is secured.