CHARLTON owner Roland Duchatelet says the club are in discussions about extending the contract of manager Chris Powell.

The Addicks boss and his backroom staff see their deals come to an end in the summer after joining the club three years ago.

And speaking at his first press conference since taking control in SE7 at the turn of the year, Duchatelet revealed they hope to have a deal sorted with Powell quickly.

He said: “We are discussing right now to renew his contract for the coming years and I hope that we can reach an agreement soon.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Chris is an extremely good coach and it is certainly our desire to continue to work alongside him.

“Chris being a club legend is certainly important for the fans, but for me the most important matter is that he is a very good coach.”

Shortly after arriving in SE7 in January Duchatelet decided to sell two of the club’s most influential players in Yann Kermorgant and Dale Stephens.

The decision angered a large proportion of Addicks supporters, but Charlton’s new owner described the decision as part of football.

“We had some talks with the players to offer them a new contract but we couldn’t agree with them,” said Duchatelet.

“Consequently they left. It is always a balancing act with what you do, but in this case they left the club.

“We have bought some new players and maybe they are not so good, but that is always the problem in football.

“All in all we will see what the result is. Life in football is a life with compromises.

“I have learned in my life to understand the frustration of fans.”

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