‘I want to be here longer term’ – Dean Holden ready to commit to Charlton Athletic but takeover situation needs a positive resolution

Dean Holden wants to stay on as Charlton Athletic manager beyond this season.

But the 43-year-old boss describes himself as “very calm” over the fact that his contract only runs until the summer.

Charlton have won four of their last five matches under Mancunian Holden, who was appointed as Ben Garner’s successor on December 20.

The Addicks are the subject of a takeover bid fronted by former Sunderland co-owner Charlie Methven.

Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard entered into a period of exclusivity with Methven’s groups prior to the arrivals of Holden, COO Jim Rodwell, finance director Ed Warrick and technical director Andy Scott into key roles at the League One club.

Sandgaard is keen to retain a minority stake in Charlton.

Methven’s camp were confident earlier this week that a deal for the Addicks was close. But any changing of the guard will also need EFL approval. None of the Addicks’ deals in the January transfer window were financial commitments beyond the end of June.

The takeover would need to be resolved – with a clear plan of action – before Holden puts pen to paper.

“I’m calm – very calm,” he told the South London Press earlier this week. “Good conversations with the people upstairs. Nothing has changed as far as I’m concerned, I’m just getting on with my job.

“I keep talking about the players being focused on what they are doing the next day, I’m the same. This time now, before we go home tonight, will be spent trying to improve the club – whether that is recruitment, changing the training ground around or loads of other things.

“I love it. I’ve fallen for it. It’s a brilliant place. I want to be here longer term, of course I do.

“I’m very happy here and very comfortable in the role I’ve got at the club – working closely with Andy Scott, the way the window went, working with Jim Rodwell and I speak to Thomas Sandgaard once a week.

“I’m allowed to get on with my job and we’ve had some short-term improvements. It’s a great group of players and staff. I’m absolutely loving it here.”

The question is whether a boss only being on a short deal, with less than four months to run, can begin to impact on performances.

Charlton will also have a raft of players in the closing stages of their contracts as well as loanees Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, Matt Penney and Gavin Kilkenny returning to their parent clubs.

“If my deal was to finish tomorrow, then I’d be sat here until whatever time tonight progressing the club,” said Holden. “That’s just the way I am. That won’t change.

“People judge us based on what they see on the pitch. I don’t think anybody watching us at the moment could assess the team and say there is any distractions. I don’t think they could level that [accusation] with a straight face, could they?

“The way we are working is a way I believe in and I think the players have bought into it. I said it again this morning – we deal with this (the present). Players might have contracts coming up and there might be players potentially coming in next season, but we don’t need to get concerned with that.

“We concern ourselves with the now. I can’t take my mind off preparing the session for tomorrow, and neither can the players. As soon as you get too far ahead of yourself in anything, not just football, you can trip yourself up.

“Yes there is a plan – medium and long term – of course there is. I understand the thinking [about] next season. Fans have got to buy a season ticket, what are they buying a season ticket for and who is going to be the manager? I totally get all of that.

“All of that is out of my control. I don’t need to be saying ‘I’d like to have contractual discussions then or then’. I’m comfortable, the players are performing and buying into the way we want to work. There is a good feel around the place and standards have risen.”

There has been no comment from Sandgaard even recognising that takeover negotiations have been taking place.

Methven, who formed a new company called SE7 Partners Limited with Warrick, has been present at a number of matches.

Asked about his understanding of the ownership situation, Holden said: “All I concern myself is dealing with what I am paid to do and what I’m in control of.

“You hear me talking all the time about things you can’t control. What am I in control of? Dealing with the players and getting a team on the pitch which the fans can relate to. Dealing with things at the training ground and football operations.

“I have to say I totally get the question, because it is newsworthy. It has been in the nationals (newspapers), I don’t live under a rock.

“I know it is big news and, as a football fan myself, I get it. But if I sat here discussing all the rumours, because there are a lot of rumours inside the rumours and it’s not just rumours about the ownership, then we’d be here for ages. We haven’t got the time for it.

“I speak to Thomas every week and I report to Jim Rodwell and Andy Scott. The truth is, Thomas owns the football club. He has got his responsibilities of owning a football club and I’ve got my responsibilities of being the manager of the football club – that’s my remit. That’s all I focus on.

“I respect people want to know stuff but none of it is on my agenda. If I start taking my mind on to that – thinking and asking questions about that – it takes time away from sitting in here (his manager’s office) with Albie Morgan, Jack Payne or Lucas Ness, going through clips. I genuinely mean that.

“I’m not sure if that is hard to understand, when you’re outside of the bubble of football. My bubble is my family and then I come to here and this is what I deal with.

“It is a big responsibility to be a manager of a football club. I don’t want a violin [played], but I need to break my week up to make sure every player is spoken to at least once a week – face to face and one to one.

“You’ve got all the training sessions, the matches and opposition games to look at. There is not enough time in the day. Away from here it is home, sleep and back. I really want this to work, I genuinely want it to go as well as it can.

“I don’t want to sound cold with my response. I understand it is a touchy subject and there is a lot of interest. But I’m not paid to talk about it or paid to make any decisions about that. It’s out of my control.

“I want to continue this feeling we’ve got around us. There is such a buzz when you win a game on a Saturday and you’ve got another game coming up.

“I’ve seen fans saying they will have a good week at work now we’ve won. If you take your eye off the ball and have a period of declining then it’s hard to get out of that.”