Charlton Athletic player closing in on Championship transfer move

Charlton Athletic winger Charlie Kirk is closing in on a loan switch to Championship outfit Blackpool, according to LancsLive.

Kirk only arrived at the Addicks in the summer, with the London club paying Crewe Alexandra a £500,000 fee for his services after eight assists and six goals in League One last season.

The 24-year-old has appeared just nine times in the league for Charlton this season though and new manager Johnnie Jackson’s preference to use wing backs instead of wingers has seen Kirk become outcasted at The Valley.

Having not appeared in the matchday squad for the last three League One fixtures, Kirk is set to head north to Bloomfield Road once Marcus Browne’s permanent arrival at Charlton is sealed.

Per LancsLive, there will be the option there in the loan to turn it into a permanent switch in the summer, with Neil Critchley needed more options out wide following the departure of Demetri Mitchell to Scottish side Hibernian.

The Verdict

Jackson’s use of wing backs and not wingers was always going to mean there were casualties from the squad that Nigel Adkins built at The Valley.

Even under the previous boss though, Kirk never really figured highly in matches and a return to the north of England could be more comfortable for him.

On the face of it, jumping up a division may seem like a bizarre one considering he hasn’t been featuring in the third tier, but Neil Critchley seemingly knows a player when he sees one.

There’s no doubting Kirk’s technical ability and he will probably fit into Critchley’s 4-4-2 a lot better than he ever did and has done at Charlton, so it could be a bit of a bargain addition.

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