Charlton's Bowyer says club should be in Premier League

The Addicks boss made the claim ahead of Friday’s League One semi-final play-off second leg against Doncaster, which Charlton take a slender 2-1 lead in to.

Charlton’s last taste of top flight action was in 2007 but Bowyer believes they should be competing higher up the football pyramid.

“The Club should be in the Premier League,” he said.

“Look at the training facilities, the stadium.

“All the potential is there, someone needs to be brave and this club could easily be in the Premier League.

“We are a League One club and we’ve sold out, not many teams in League One can do that.

“For me this club should never be in League One, and that’s why we are working so hard in getting back up.

“But I understand it’s a difficult business to own and run a football club.”

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Promotion Key

Promotion to the second tier seems to be paramount in order to keep the top talent at The Valley beyond the summer.

With possibly up to 15 first team players of contract or loan-spells over in the next month Bowyer knows that playing Championship football next year will be key in renewing deals and keeping the club’s top stars in SE7.

“I’m not silly,” said Bowyer.

“It’s hard to plan for next season because we don’t know what division we’ll be in.

“Certain players we will lose if we don’t go up.

“Pat Bauer said if we don’t get promotion he’ll go to a Championship side.

“That’s his choice, we can’t stop that.

“Other players have done well as well, and if you do well as a team and as an individual it draws attention.

“Look at Karlan Grant, he was a 20-year-old kid who had an opportunity to play in the Premiership, he wanted to go, we couldn’t stop him.

“All of that is part of the game.

“People come, people go.

“So next season, whatever division we are in, we’ll have to rebuild again.

“A lot of people are out of contract, some will stay some will go.”