Chris Gunter on leaving Reading, chasing a first career promotion at Charlton Athletic and the impact of the League One salary cap

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Chris Gunter has played 526 senior matches and is one cap shy of a century for Wales, so it comes as something of a surprise that he has never won promotion.

The experienced right-back, 31, has had nearly moments in the Championship play-offs with both Forest and Reading.

You can understand why Gunter, who signed for Charlton in early October, is hoping for a top-two finish in League One.

“I finished third with Forest in my first season I was there and lost in the semi,” said the Newport-born defender. “I had a sixth the following season – then lost in the semi-final. And I finished third with Reading and lost on penalties to Huddersfield the year they got promoted. So hopefully it’s not the play-offs.

“It’s a shame they brought in the play-offs and the top three don’t get promoted! I hope by the time I finish I can get a promotion.

“The play-off ones are tough to take, especially finishing third – and both times we were close to the top two. If you look at the big picture then you’ve had a very good season but it ends on the worst possible note, especially losing on penalties.

“I know the pain of not getting there – so I imagine actually doing it would be a really nice feeling. That’s the aim of everyone here.”

Gunter was a free agent after ending an eight-year stint with Reading. He made 314 appearances for the Royals – only James Harper, Graeme Murty and Nicky Shorey have compiled more games for the Royals since the turn of the century.

There has been little managerial stability at the Berkshire outfit. Veljko Paunovic was appointed in August but predecessors Mark Bowen, Jose Manuel Gomes and Paul Clement did not even last 12 months.

Addicks boss Lee Bowyer wanted Gunter after they won promotion to the Championship but then owner Roland Duchatelet was keeping an iron grip on the finances.

Charlton missed out on numerous transfer targets last season.

Gunter stayed at Reading and his prospects fluctuated.

He did not play in the league until November 26 and then started 11 games in a row between December and February before sustaining a groin injury.

Gunter was in the side for five of the final nine fixtures after lockdown.

“A couple of things went on at the beginning of last season and potentially there was a chance of me leaving then,” said Gunter. “It didn’t happen in the end.

“There was a change again in the summer, with managers and stuff. There’s been a lot of change at the club and to find things out and get information from them at times was tough. You weren’t quite sure who was making decisions at the club.

“Once the season was finished I knew I was going to be leaving.”

Gunter had never played below England’s top two tiers prior to agreeing a switch to Charlton.

He is sanguine about the salary cap – voted in by League One clubs this summer – that effectively restricts the wages on offer.

“I’m not sure if it was brought on a little by the whole pandemic,” said Gunter. “I wasn’t really too up to speed with how it came about.

“Overall if it means that it can secure the longer term futures of clubs then it’s something that may have needed to happen.

“If it is to protect clubs – we’ve seen a few in the last few years that have really struggled – then that’s a good thing.

“I’d expect it maybe to change in the next few years, in that the teams who are bringing in more revenue can maybe spend more.

“You have to deal with it. As a player you don’t really have any say in those type of things.

“Naturally you want to play as high as you can. But I got to a stage where some of the things that went on at Reading during the course of last season made me say to myself that if I was in a position where I could pick where I wanted to go then I wanted a sense that I would enjoy my football.

“I wanted to work under people where I felt you can still get a little bit of respect back.

“Then the opportunity to speak to Lee Bowyer and Steve Gallen came up. They had tried to sign me before.

“Everything I’d said to myself, after the experiences of the last 12 to 18 months, is what they showed me.”

Gunter describes committing to Charlton until June 2022 – with an option for a further year – as an “easy decision”.

“In terms of dropping down, that was fine,” he said.

“It’s the club I’m joining and the people I’m going to work for.

“On one hand you think you’re going to be joining a club which is up there challenging and hopefully getting back to the Championship – but you know it isn’t as easy as that.

“Just because we have kept good players, brought good ones in, are a big club and have a nice stadium – it doesn’t mean we’re going to be at the top of the league. It’s always going to be a tough challenge. I was excited by that and also playing for the club and people here – rather than looking at it being in League One.”

Gunter’s first five appearances in Charlton colours were clean sheets and they were unbeaten for his opening seven games until last week’s reverse at Burton.

“To win the first six games was really enjoyable – it never tends to go that way in football,” he said.

“You work to do that, but have to be realistic.

“To bring in as many players as we did and play that many games in a short space of time, it was a start probably nobody expected.”

Gunter was one of 13 signings made in the last transfer window – 11 of those after Thomas Sandgaard had acquired the SE7 club in late September.

But the experienced campaigner is quick to praise the quality that was already at Bowyer’s disposal.

“A lot of the talk was around the new players coming in and doing really well,” he said.

“People felt we had settled in quickly – which we had. But we were also joining a very good squad with some good players.

“More often than not when new players join and you do well then the focus is on the signings, because they are new and fresh.

“But we joined a good squad and they helped the boys settle in.

“It’s not that we’ve come in and made everything perfect overnight. It’s us adding to what was going on before.”