“Could prove crucial” – Charlton Athletic eyeing move for 30-year-old: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

We brought you the exclusive this morning that Charlton Athletic are considering a move for Chey Dunkley after the centre back’s deal at Sheffield Wednesday ended this summer.

The 30-year-old has been a very reliable defender, when fit, in the last few years in the EFL and was especially impressive under Paul Cook at Wigan Athletic.

The Addicks have added Eoghan O’Connell to their defensive contingent this summer, but with it unclear how much Deji Elerewe, Lucas Ness or Nazir Bakrin can contribute to the first team, further reinforcements are needed.

We gathered the thoughts of a selection of FLW writers to see if they believe that Dunkley would be a smart addition for Charlton…

Ben Wignall

Dunkley is a proven solid option at League One level and probably would have amassed more than 21 matches for Sheffield Wednesday in the third tier last season if he was able to stay injury-free.

He also provides experience at the level above as well, and when utilised correctly he can be a real threat from set pieces – in recent years for Wigan Athletic he has had seasons where he scored seven and six goals respectively.

Right now, Charlton have three centre-backs on the books in Ryan Inniss, Sam Lavelle and Eoghan O’Connell, so it’s clear that more options – at least one – is needed.

On a free transfer, Dunkley would be a solid if unspectacular addition to the ranks at The Valley, but the most important thing he would bring is promotion-winning experience, which could prove crucial for the Addicks.

Josh Cole

This could