Charlton boss Lee Bowyer: Patience is a virtue in the quest for further signings

Lee Bowyer has said he will be patient in the quest for further additions to his Charlton Athletic squad.

Darren Pratley’s arrival heralded the second signing that the Addicks have made this summer, with Lyle Taylor having already joined the club from AFC Wimbledon.

The ongoing takeover process, which will remove Roland Duchatelet’s ownership of the Valley outfit, has caused instability in SE7 and caretaker boss Bowyer says he will need to use his budget wisely.

“We have to hand pick now and choose carefully who we want because we want specific players,” explained Bowyer.

“There’s no point bringing in people that aren’t as good or better than the players we have in the building. There’s no point, that’s just wasting money. So that’s what we’re doing and we’re trying to process that.

“We’re obviously still looking. We’ve got to be patient. The two I’ve bought in I think are very good signings. We don’t need much. I’ve said it before, we’re probably a couple of pieces short of a good puzzle. I said that end of last season.”

The Addicks chief was able to take another look at trialists Elliott Ward and Simon Dawkins during the 2-1 pre-season victory over Dulwich Hamlet on Wednesday night – and is closer to making a final decision on their futures.

“It’s difficult because you’re asking them to do things that are different to what they’re usually doing,” said Bowyer.

“Dawkins is a wide player but then I’m telling him to play in and around their sitting midfielder because he was the one who was picking up second balls. I thought he did well today, in possession he was good. I want him to get into the box more. But obviously we’ll need to make a decision soon, one way or the other.”