'He's here' - Charlton Athletic beat League One rivals to third summer transfer

Charlton Athletic have beaten League One rivals Bristol Rovers and Barnsley to the signing of Dunfermline defender Josh Edwards, the club confirmed on Wednesday morning.

The Addicks have been linked with the 24-year-old for several weeks with a deal supposedly nearing completion in May. However, it emerged that the Scottish Championship side had also accepted a bid from the Gas, allowing the player to enter into talks with both clubs.

It is Nathan Jones who triumphed in convincing the promising defender to be part of his project in London as Charlton look to challenge at the opposite end of the League One table next season following last year's relegation dogfight.

Edwards had also been previously linked with Oxford United and Lincoln City with Barnsley having a bid rejected in January. The player made 42 appearances in all competitions, registering an impressive four goals and nine assists from defence.

When confirming the transfer on Wednesday, the club shared a short quote from manager Jones in which the Welshman sent a fired-up celebration of having landed the coup ahead of rivals. He said: “We’re delighted to get the deal to bring Josh in done. We’ve beaten off a lot of competition from other clubs to bring him to Charlton. He's a player with a lot of potential, who has played a lot of games in Scotland over a number of years now. He has the attributes and the profile we look for and he'll only get better.

“His arrival will help give us real competition on the left-hand side. He provides something different to what we already have and he has a real scope to improve. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

It's the second time this week that Jones has celebrated the club's pulling power ahead of rivals. Charlton Athletic recently confirmed the signing of Luke Berry from Luton Town, supposedly beating Championship interest from London rivals Watford and QPR.

Confirming that transfer, the manager said: "We’ve fought off a lot of competition to get him and I’m just pleased that our club and my relationship with him has enabled us to get the signing over the line. I’m sure he’s going to be a significant signing for the club."

Edwards becomes Charlton's third summer signing this window with goalkeeper Will Mannion also coming through the doors last week. The club is keen to complete transfer business before pre-season preparations get underway.

The Dunfermline defender said today: “I’ve wanted to play in England since I was a wee boy, so I’m really excited to do this. I really liked what [Nathan Jones] told me about the club and the direction it’s going in, so I’m really looking forward to getting started and seeing where it takes us.”