Bowyer on players returning from injury, current squad and transfer target

Charlton manager Lee Bowyer spoke to the press this morning ahead of Saturday’s game against Fleetwood.

The full interview will be available on Valley Pass today below are a few talking points.

On players coming back from injury…

“Igor is back in training. Tariqe, maybe Tuesday but he’s been out a long time so he isn’t just going to walk back into the squad, he’ll have to train with us for a little bit. Pearcey, he’s been out a couple of weeks so will be back (for training) on Tuesday. I think Ben Reeves is back Tuesday as well. So you have three good’uns coming back. But Reevsey has been out since the second day of pre-season so again he’s going to take some time to get used to the pace and the demands that we have in training every day. But yeah, it’s better than people going out (injured), because that’s all I’ve had, people going out (injured) and now finally they are all starting to come back, so that’s a positive.” 

On a potential transfer in…

"We’re in negotiation with a club at the moment for a player. I met the player yesterday and persuaded him to come to us. Now it’s out of my hands and between the two clubs." 

On if players leaving has impacted results...

"We’ve lost a good player with Josh Magennis but we’ve brought in a player (Lyle Taylor) who scored double the amount of goals that he scored. I think it’s a good replacement.

"We’ve lost Ezri (Konsa), which was time for him to go. He had to go, for his own career and financially for the club it was good business but now we’ve brought in someone that is probably quite similar I would say, Krystian (Bielik) from Arsenal, we’ve got him on loan. He’s versatile in positions, so it’s a bit like-for-like. 

"Obviously we’ve brought in Pratley who has brought in good experience, determination and fight into the midfield which we didn’t have last year. Obviously Jed Steer is a very good goalkeeper to compete with Dill (Phillips). So I think the additions we’ve made, I think we’re in a better position than we were last season. Have we had the money other clubs have had to spend? No, like Peterborough have spent a lot of money. Sunderland, Portsmouth, Oxford. They are all clubs that are offering a lot more money than what we can wage wise but I look at my squad and I am happy with it and we’re still adding to the squad, like I was just saying, the player we are looking to bring in is another player that will make us better. So I don’t think by losing the players we’ve lost that we’re any worse off. If anything, I’d like to think we’re a bit stronger now."

Bowyer's full press conference will be on Valley Pass later today.

Charlton season tickets remain on sale. Adult tickets begin at just £200 and U11s are completely free in the Family Stand when bought alongside a full-paying adult, as has been the case for the last two seasons. To purchase your season ticket online, please click here.

For more information on season tickets and details about pricing, please click here.

Match tickets for Charlton's home game against Fleetwood Town on Saturday remain on sale. To purchase yours online, please click here.

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