Charlton boss Nigel Adkins: I’ll give great references to all of the players we let go

Nigel Adkins has promised to give glowing references to any of the senior players released by Charlton.

The Addicks manager opted to not offer new deals to veteran midfielder Darren Pratley, Andrew Shinnie or Deji Oshilaja, pictured inset. And Adkins has explained there were multiple reasons to make that call on the trio.

“One, there has got to be a pathway for the youngsters in the academy,” he said. “At every football club I’ve been at that has been a big priority and that will be the same here. We have got talented players and sometimes that pathway can be blocked.

“Someone told me some stats when I first joined Charlton Athletic that no squad at that age had been promoted. So that’s another thing you’ve got to go and look at.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re putting a squad of players in place for next season to challenge at the top end of the table.

“The three players we haven’t offered deals to are great professionals and we’ve gone out publicly and said that. I spoke to them face to face, which is important, and they are always going to be welcome back at the training ground, or at Charlton Athletic.

“Unfortunately you have got to make these kind of decisions in football. Their attitudes have been top drawer and they will get the best reference I can give, if anyone phones me up about them.

“They have been spot-on in the short time I have been here. So making those decisions is a difficult thing to do.”

Charlton have sold more than 7,500 season tickets for the 2021-22 campaign.

“It’s overwhelming really, to have that many already,” said Adkins. “We want it to be an exciting season, can we go and win it? We know, if you look at the teams in the division, that it’s going to be tough.

“We have to have that realism that it is going to be competitive all season long – we need that support at The Valley and to improve on our home form next season.

“Just having the thought of 7,500 season tickets being sold is exciting. The supporters are going to get behind the team, because they are the team — a massive part of the team.”