Lee Bowyer wants to bring in three players before the loan window shuts at the end of the month.

Charlton’s squad has been decimated by injuries and they have failed to name a full substitutes’ bench in their opening two games of the season.

Bowyer told News Shopper: “Listen, I’m not silly. I need a centre-half, another central midfielder and winger/striker, that type of player. I know I need them.

“And then I’ve got Jed Steer in and I’ve got Jason Pearce, Tariqe Fosu, Igor Vetokele, Billy Clarke and Ben Reeves to come back. Obviously Jake Forster-Caskey is the only player who won’t be coming back unfortunately.

“I’ve got those five players to come back so my bench is going to be good with the three who have already come through the door. We have to be careful who we bring in.

“I’m not going to bring anyone in who’s going to be worse than what we’ve already got. It’s a waste of money. There’s no point. We’re being careful. The three we've brought in, they're at a different level.”

Charlton's wantaway owner Roland Duchatelet has been cost-cutting throughout the summer.

It’s included sales of key players such as Josh Magennis and Ezri Konsa, while bottled water and breakfast has been taken away from academy players.

When asked how confident he is of landing his transfer targets, Bowyer added: “I’m not really so worried about the midfield. I’m just hoping this one lad will come available.

“I need a centre-half as cover because at this present time we have Patrick Bauer and Naby Sarr - that’s it. Pearce is out and we have no one else. That’s my main focus now.

“Another striker/winger is going to be nice but we’ve got a long time to go.

“We’ve got 40-odd games to go. I’m not going to rush and dive in. There’s no point. I keep saying it but we want to get the best players we can.”