Two former Premier League players are training with Charlton Athletic in League One.
Two former Premier League players are said to be training with League One club Charlton Athletic, as the Nathan Jones revolution continues at The Valley. The announcement has turned heads and sparked speculation about prospective contracts for free agents in the near future.
Since former Southampton and Luton Town manager Jones was appointed manager in February, the Addicks have turned a corner, with a win over Carlisle United on Saturday the latest in a run of seven unbeaten games.
Jones’ efforts at Charlton appears to have persuaded some well-known players to join the ranks, if only to keep their performance up by participating in training sessions. Over the weekend, it was revealed that former Newcastle United and Brighton winger Kanzenga LuaLua was working for the Addicks.
Between 2008 and 2011, the 33-year-old made a few Premier League outings for the Magpies but never established himself as a regular. LuaLua is most remembered for his eight seasons with Brighton, when the Seagulls were in the Championship, before moving on to Sunderland and finally Luton Town. LuaLua spent last season with Greek club Levadiakos.
LuaLua worked with Jones at Luton Town and was part of the team that won League One in 2019. According to Richard Cawley of the South London Press, Charlton Athletic were waiting to find out the full extent of Kazenga LuaLua’s contract predicament before making a decision. Either is or was contracted with Levadiakos.
The second player is Tarique Fosu, a familiar figure who has been without a club since being released by Premier League team Brentford in July 2023. The midfielder only made one top-flight appearance for the Bees and is a former Charlton Athletic star, having spent two years with the club and appearing 65 times between 2017 and 2019.
The announcement comes after the Addicks signed Connor Wickham, an ex-Sunderland and Crystal Palace striker, as a free agent on March 8. Wickham has signed a short-term contract to play for the club until the conclusion of the season.
Jones intimated that when he took over as manager rather than coach, he would be extensively involved in the club’s transfer activity. He explained, “It’s not entirely my fault. Charlton informed me of their plans for growth and development. That is the duty of a manager, and it appealed to me. A manager’s responsibility is to drive certain aspects of recruitment and environmental management. “I have more responsibilities than a typical head coach.”
Leave a Reply