Charlton Athletic boss on former Blackburn and Fulham player Tayo Edun having ‘point to prove’

Charlton manager Dean Holden has explained why new signing Tayo Edun is not set to feature in Saturday’s final friendly against Aberdeen.

The former Fulham player joined the League One club for an undisclosed fee from Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday.

Edun, 25, has signed a two-year contract with the Addicks.

“You’ve got to respect the parent club and where they are – what type of deal they are looking for,” Holden told the South London Press. “There was toing and froing about a loan or about a permanent. We stood firm as to how we wanted it to be.

“For that reason it probably took a bit longer. It doesn’t happen as quickly as you’d like sometimes. But the key thing is we stayed patient and we don’t go and try and get our second target or our third target. We knew this was a deal that could happen.

“There would’ve come a time, if it had dragged on any longer, that we might have needed to act and move for someone else.

“But the conversations I had with Tayo, he was desperate to come – he really was. I was confident it would get done.

“It was a Fulham U21s game when I first saw him, a few years ago, and then at Lincoln he really got in peoples’ eyelines and kept putting in consistent performances – both in that left wing-back slot and also as a midfielder.

“I watched him live for Blackburn, twice. I watched him at Valley Parade, against Bradford, at the start of last season, and I saw him in a cup game against West Ham – he played in midfield. He can play through the pitch. He’s an exciting talent who can get up and down it. He’s got a lovely left foot, good technically and he’ll get stuck in as well – he’ll have a go.

“He comes with a real point to prove, to get his career going. He’s been frustrated in his time at Blackburn – it’s not ended in as good a way as he’d have liked.

“He has been with a smaller training group at Blackburn, for whatever reason, so he’s not had as much exposure to bigger pitch training. It’s all been quite small  drills and fitness work. He’s going to need that bigger pitch exposure before he is thrown into any 11v11 type games.

“I wouldn’t expect him to be ready for Saturday’s game. We’ll build him up as quickly as we can but as smart as we can – we’re not here to break anybody.

“He’s a naturally fit lad and he’s in great nick. I saw him in the physio room when he was having his medical, without his top on, he’s in great nick.”