2805: Charlton Athletic: January 200

by : Alex Wolstenholme

Charlton boss Alan Curbishley's big transfer window signing was striker Marcus Bent who joined for £2.5million from Everton and teamed up with namesake, and fellow former Ipswich forward Darren at the Valley.

At the age of 27, Charlton are Bent's 9th club and his transfer fee means over £9million has now been paid out for his services by various clubs.

Bent performed well for Everton last season, often as a lone striker and the prospect of regular first team football in a front two with Darren Bent will hopefully bring the best out of him.

Two goals already, including an equaliser against Chelsea bode well.

As the deadline neared, Danny Murphy completed a £2million switch to Tottenham, leaving with some comments that cast doubt on Charlton's future ambitions but with some good words for Curbishley despite having lost his place in the side prior to his departure.

For his part, Curbishley felt that when Murphy played, the system that Charlton used to accomodate him led to their midfield becoming 'lightweight'.

He also said: "There had been speculation about Danny and he had become unsettled in recent weeks.

"It was nothing to do with me or the club - it was to do with other clubs. It was none of my doing that he left us and I'm sure it was nothing to do with the club."

35-year-old Dean Kiely left the Valley on a free transfer for Portsmouth after six-and-a-half years and nearly 250 appearances for the club.

Kiely had lost his first-team place this season and with Thomas Myhre and Stephan Andersen at his disposal, Curbishley was able to let Kiely leave.

Jason Euell came close to joining Murphy and Kiely after a fee was agreed for a move to Birmingham City.

Euell has fallen dramatically out of favour in the last year or so and must have been hoping for a fresh start at St Andrews'. However, Blues boss Steve Bruce decided to spend his transfer window budget elsewhere, bringing in defender Martin Latka and strikers Chris Sutton and DJ Campbell.

Norwich City snapped up Jonatan Johansson on loan. The Finnish international striker was unlikely to feature heavily in the first-team following the signing of Bent and will remain at Carrow Road until the end of the season.

Francis Jeffers may soon make a loan exit of his own. The former £8million man spent the first part of the season at Rangers and is now being linked with a number of Championship sides, including Millwall, Derby and Preston.

Also going out on loan were youngsters James Walker, a striker who joined Hartlepool, Alex Varney, also a forward who joined Barnet and Barry Fuller, a midfielder who also went to Underhill.

Chairman Richard Murray defended the relative lack of incoming activity during the window, a situation not helped by the late departure of Murphy to Tottenham.

He said: "We had to take a decision whether to just bring someone in because we wanted to say we'd made another signing, or wait until the summer transfer window and then strengthen the squad with players that Alan actually wants to sign and that he has targeted."

Alex Wolstenholme
15 February 2006