Charlton Athletic squad value v QPR, Millwall and Championship rivals as transfers confirmed

Charlton Athletic will join London rivals QPR and Millwall in the Championship next season thanks to clinching promotion via the League One play-offs.

The Addicks manager Nathan Jones has made no secret of his ambition to take the club back to the big time but the first step will be consolidating a place in the notoriously tricky second tier.

Charlton Athletic need only ask QPR how difficult the Championship can be after a stuttering few seasons at Loftus Road. The R’s looked to be progressing under Marti Cifuentes last season after recent relegation scares, even tipped as play-off candidates at one stage, before a drop in form and plummet back down the league.

QPR manager gives squad verdict on appointment

Cifuentes has since departed the club with former Rennes boss Julien Stephan appointed. QPR have been active in the summer window, adding Reading man Amadou Mbengue and Peterborough United winger Kwame Poku to their ranks.

Giving his verdict on the squad when arriving at QPR, Stephan said: “I see a group with talent, commitment and potential. I think, for sure, there is work to do. I think we have a great potential in the squad and there is a strong foundation to develop. I’m very excited to work with these players.

“I think it’s important to build a clear identity with a strong team spirit. Of course, we want to be competitive in every game and to progress step by step, we will be ambitious but also humble. In the Championship you have to be humble, especially when you come from abroad.”

Millwall and Charlton Athletic make summer transfer moves

Over at Millwall, the most impressive piece of business so far this summer is the permanent signing of Josh Coburn from Middlesbrough. The striker played an important part on loan at The Den last season and it remained to be seen whether a transfer move could be brokered.

Lions manager Alex Neil told NewsAtDen: “To get him back this early is probably abnormal. Every manager wants to get everybody back before pre-season starts.

“Josh, we’ve seen him in close quarters. He came back from an injury after being out for quite a few months. We can see the potential that he’s got and how him and Mihailo in particular, developed a good partnership at the top end of the pitch.

“To get a British player, 22, six-foot-five, can score goals, can run, can take the ball in, can do all those sorts of bits in the game, they’re rare. There’s not many of them about, so we’re delighted that we could get Josh back and more importantly, get him back in the time frame we have to allow us to get pre-season together.”

Charlton Athletic have been the most active of the London clubs in the second tier so far, with Jones known for getting his business done early. Amari'i Bell is the latest to arrive from Luton Town and he joins Sonny Carey, Thomas Kaminski and Tanto Olaofe.

Championship squad values compared

LondonWorld looks at how the Championship squad values compare as it stands, according to data from Transfermarkt.

1. Southampton, £193.4 million
2. Leicester City, £180.8 million
3. Ipswich Town, £146.2 million
4. Sheffield United, £105.6 million
5. Coventry City, £86.3 million
6. Norwich City, £77.8 million
7. Middlesbrough, £70.2 million
8. Birmingham City, £66.6 million
9. Bristol City, £53.3 million
10. Hull City, £50.0 million
11. West Brom, £47.2 million
12. Watford, £40.1 million
13. Swansea City, £38.1 million
14. Stoke City, £36.9 million
15. QPR, £35.8 million
16. Blackburn Rovers, £32.6 million
17. Preston North End, £30.0 million
18. Millwall, £29.4 million
19. Oxford United, £21.7 million
20. Derby County, £20.1 million
21. Portsmouth, £16.4 million
22. Sheffield Wednesday, £16.3 million
23. Wrexham, £15.2 million
24. Charlton Athletic, £10.3 million

In other news, Charlton Athletic set for survival boost as Championship rivals face 'inevitable' points deduction.