Leon Best has been training with Charlton for the past month.

The striker has been without a club since leaving Ipswich in the summer.

Best, 31, has Premier League and Championship experience but injuries have hindered his career in recent years.

Charlton’s only senior strikers are Josh Magennis and Joe Dodoo, with the latter’s loan ending in January. And Best could be the man to rival Magennis for a starting berth.

Here are the pros and cons of offering Best a short-term deal at the Valley…

He would add invaluable experience to a promotion-chasing squad

Best has played in the Premier League with Newcastle and had spells in the Championship with various clubs.

The Republic of Ireland international also featured for Bournemouth, Yeovil and Coventry in League One so knows how tough England’s third tier is.

Best would be coming to Charlton as back-up to Magennis, and he’ll know that. However, his experience would come in handy. 

Lack of first-team football is a problem

Best’s £3m move to Blackburn in 2012 was ruined by a serious knee injury and since then, he has failed to really hold down a regular starting place in any team. Loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Derby and Brighton followed before disappointing permanent moves to Rotherham and Ipswich.

He was never a first-team regular at any of the clubs mentioned above, and has not played a competitive game of football since January.

It means, even though he’s been training with Charlton, he’ll be short of match fitness. It took Ben Reeves, who was also without a club in the summer, a long time to build up his fitness. So, how long will Best need?

Scoring record isn’t great

Following on from the previous point, Best’s form has been impacted by injuries and moving from club to club.

He has scored just 10 times in 83 league games since August 2012.

That might not alarm Charlton boss Karl Robinson too much as his midfielders, most notably Ricky Holmes, Tariqe Fosu and Jake Forster-Caskey, have been chipping in with goals this season.

But by dropping into League One, Best could find a goalscoring touch.

He has a point to prove

It’s clear that Best has endured tough times on the football pitch for the past five years.

And he’ll want to prove any doubters wrong if he is given a deal by Addicks chiefs. The experienced striker would be playing in an attack-minded team who are fighting for promotion.

Robinson has praised Best’s character and attitude since arriving at Sparrows Lane. And it seems like he has the right attitude to be part of a competitive Charlton squad.

Charlton need strikers – Best is a striker

It’s as simple as that.

Joe Dodoo has barely played since joining on loan from Rangers in August – it’s meant that Robinson has been unable to give Magennis a rest.

But signing Best, even on a short-term deal, could solve that problem.

He is a similar player to Magennis in terms of strength and power, and would be able to slot in seamlessly if the Northern Ireland striker was injured or suspended.