Charlton Athletic chief explains why contract talks are on hold

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Lee Bowyer says Charlton cannot open player contract talks until they know what division they will be in next season.

Top-scorer Chuks Aneke and midfielder Jake Forster-Caskey are both due to be free agents at the end of June.

“They are in the same boat as everybody else,” said Addicks boss Bowyer. “We don’t know what division we’re going to be in – it’s difficult to do anything at the moment.

“Once we get nearer to the end of the season we will have more idea of what’s going on. As it stands we’re not doing any contracts.

“Jake has done well this season. He started slowly in pre-season and I gave him a bit of a kick up the backside – pointed a few things out to him.  He responded in the right way, since then he’s been very good.

“Jake is as good as he wants to be when he’s at it. But he has to be at it from the first minute. Sometimes he goes into casual mode and he is a completely different player.”

Aneke bagged his 13th goal of the season in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory at Wigan Athletic. Asked if he expected Championship interested in the 27-year-old, Bowyer replied: “That’s something we can’t control. Chuks is another one who we have converted into a striker that goes on and scores goals.

“From what I understand he has got the best goals-per-minutes in the division, maybe even all the divisions.

“I think there will be interest in Chuks. Everyone wants a striker. If we go up I’m guessing he would stay with us. He likes it with us. He is another we have got the best out of, so I couldn’t see why he’d leave if we went up.”

PHOTO: PAUL EDWARDS