Charlton keen on Aneke signing new contract – as boss Bowyer talks about ‘impossible situation’
Charlton are expected to open contract talks with Chuks Aneke once the January transfer window has closed.
The frontman’s double in Tuesday’s 4-4 draw against Rochdale took his season’s goal haul to nine.
Aneke is due to be a free agent at the end of June.
Charlton manager Lee Bowyer said: “We like Chuks. We know what he brings to us. That will be a discussion that we’ll be having.
“Firstly we have to try and get through this window and then it’s a discussion with Chuks.”
Aneke played the full 90 minutes in midweek – the first time he has stayed on the pitch that long this season.
The Addicks have been careful with his game time after a series of niggling injuries had disrupted his career in SE7.
Asked if Aneke will be able to start at Bristol Rovers after his exertions against Rochdale, Bowyer replied: “I don’t know.
“This is the discussion we’ll have this morning with the medical department.
“It is an impossible situation that I’m in. You see what he brings to us and I want to play him all the time – but at the same time I can’t afford to lose him. It is a catch-22 – do you take the risk knowing he could break down? Then you don’t start him and people ask the question why he is not playing?
“There is no right or wrong answer. He’s a player that we need. We need him to play because we have a better chance of winning games – it is plain to see. But sometimes we have to look at the bigger picture and that’s what we’ve done with him since the start of the season.
“There have been games I’ve wanted to start him and I couldn’t. There are games I’ve wanted to leave him on longer and haven’t. These are the things that can be the difference between winning and losing. You could see that when we left him on Tuesday – the keeper made a great save to stop him scoring a third.”
PHOTOS: PAUL EDWARDS
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Aneke’s vulnerability to injury is a perplexing problem, but he is a professional footballer and surely he knows how his body is feeling. At this moment in time, he is certainly Charlton’s best striker and when he was paired with Schwartz, they looked good together on Tuesday night. Perhaps start with Washington, Bogel or Millar up front and then bring them both on 2nd half if things are not going too well – again! This is a true conundrum for Lee Bowyer and one that could go wrong no matter what he decides. However, he is the manager and he has to make the decision after advice from his backroom staff that is what he is paid to do. Bowyer has and will make mistakes, but he is still the right man for the job at Charlton in my opinion and I wish some people did not have such short memories!