CHARLTON fan and freelance journalist MATT FRICKER is News Shopper online’s Addicks columnist and this week looks at who he would like to see signed in the close season.

WHEN the first set of players to be released from clubs across the country was announced yesterday, like many I immediately started thinking of players I’d realistically like to see Chris Powell sign.

During the 2010/11 pre-season, the financial problems of our club meant the focus had to be on rebuilding a squad from scratch.

Come the first day of pre-season training, we only had seven first team players at our disposal.

Since then, thanks to the takeover by Mr Slater and his still, as yet, unknown backers, Powell can thankfully focus on strengthening his squad.

Whilst this season has been disappointing I feel we have a nucleus of players that could challenge for the League One title next season if strengthened in one or two areas.

I think that we’ll know which squad members won’t have their contracts renewed by the end of the week, leaving us with about 10 Charlton players who are offered new contracts.

This will leave us with an anxious wait as we hope that certain players will sign a new deal and stay with the Addicks. While secure financial backing doesn’t mean we’ll go and buy a player for millions of pounds, it does mean we’ll be able to sit down with the players we want to stay and offer them a very competitive new contract.

The main question for me is how much change will we see in the squad this year?

We’ve all got positions where we think the squad needs strengthening.

I’d personally like to see a new left back, centre back, another right midfielder and goalkeeper to help add competition and back up for the players we already have in those positions.

I’m thinking of players such as former Leeds centre back Richard Naylor, ex-Bristol City midfielder Ivan Sproule and keeper John Sullivan, who was on loan with us for several months and is a free agent after being released by Millwall.

I’d also like to see enough players bought in on full time contracts that, for once, we don’t need to rely on loan signings to bolster our squad numbers.

All in all, this transition between the end of the last season and the start of next is key for Powell and his Charlton team, as it will signal their intent to, in their own words, challenge for the league title in 2012.

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