It's almost three weeks since the end of the regular League One
season, but there has been no rest for Addicks manager Chris Powell.
Far
from putting his feet up at the end of his first campaign at the helm,
Powell is busy plotting a promotion assault for next season.
Midfielders Danny Hollands and Bradley Pritchard have already put pen
to paper as a summer of rebuilding kicks in, while a move for young
goalkeeper Nick Pope is all but completed, and the Valley boss admits
his first post-season shopping expedition has opened his eyes.
"It's
been amazing," he said. "You never stop talking about players. And you
never stop talking to agents who say 'I've got the player who is going
to make the difference' - and then you find out he is not going to make a
difference at all.
"It's not an exact science. You can talk to
loads of people who have come across the players, whether they have
coached them or worked alongside them, and you can watch DVDs of the
players, but ultimately I have to make the decision on whether he is
going to be OK for us.
An Addicks legend in his three playing spells at the club, Powell is
well-versed in selling the club to prospective new signings, and wants
any newcomers to buy in to what he is hoping to achieve.
"I'm
doing my due diligence on all the players who come in," he said. "I want
them to fit into the ethos of Charlton and where we have come from.
"That's
one thing I am going to impress on this year's squad. They will be
looking at The Valley, our training ground and the fantastic facilities
that we have, but I'll be asking if they know what happened to get us
here.
"I think most of the players will have that in the back of
their minds and I want them to realise that and to produce the
performances that we want from them this year. It is going to be a tough
and competitive league with Preston North End and Sheffield United
coming in and a couple of the teams that are coming up.
"It's
going to be a tough year, but it's a year we are going to have to be
ready for. Come August 6th, we've got to be ready to play against
whichever team is in front of us."
After securing the services of Hollands and Pritchard, Powell admits
there are plenty of other irons in the fire on the transfer front, and
is hoping to unveil some more fresh faces sooner rather than later.
"We've
spoken and met a few players and agents, and it is a bit of a chess
game with them," said Chris, whose only other permanent capture since
taking the Valley helm at the start of the year has been striker Bradley
Wright-Phillips.
"I'm sure they will be speaking to other clubs
and managers. We are along the line with a number of players, but until
they have their medicals and agree and sign their contracts, you're
never certain.
"I'm hopeful that we can have some more news in the not too distant future."
