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Charlton Athletic are favourites for relegation next season in the eyes of many Championship supporters, but one EFL expert shares a differing opinion.
In the conclusion of the 2024/25 League One campaign, Charlton Athletic won promotion to the Championship after beating Leyton Orient in the third tier play-off final under Nathan Jones.
Amid interest in the Welshman from Cardiff City, Jones signed a new deal with Charlton to see him tied down for a further five years despite the pursuit of his boyhood club.
So far in the summer transfer window, former Luton Town boss Jones is creating Luton 2.0 at Charlton, after signing four ex-Hatters players for the Addicks this summer ahead of next season.
Many onlookers, including ourselves, have tipped Charlton for relegation in our early 2025/26 Championship predictions. However, one EFL expert begs to differ.
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EFL expert backs Charlton Athletic to stay up in 2025/26 Championship
Given the calibre of the 24 teams in the Championship for next season, many fans believe that Jones’ Charlton will not have enough quality to survive instant relegation back to the third tier.
Charlton’s fellow promoted sides, Birmingham City and Wrexham, have been heavily active within the summer transfer window by flexing their financial muscle.
Regardless of their comparative lack of financial firepower, the Addicks have completed some solid transfers so far this summer, with the latest recruit imminent as Charlton close in on Rob Apter from Blackpool.
Despite many believing Charlton are doomed for relegation under Jones’ tutelage, EFL expert George Elek of the Not the Top 20 podcast believes Jones’ side will stay up next season.
He told Dragon Sports: “So even though there’s a big gap in quality, and it’s not necessarily the business that Charlton have done in the summer that would suggest that they’re going to make it up easily,
“I personally think Nathan Jones is the strongest and most important reason why Charlton can probably expect to give a really good account of themselves in the Championship.
“He is obviously desperate to prove people wrong. I think his position as being something as of a joke figure within some quarters of football is completely undeserved.
“It annoys me that a few bad months at Southampton and Stoke for some people, means they forget the incredible work that he did at Luton.
“And at Charlton, he’s again showing what an impactful and effective manager he is. And I think Charlton Athletic will be all the better for it. And I expect they’ll stay up under him.”
Jones is one of the EFL’s most divisive managers, with that reputation unaided after his antics during Charlton’s play-off campaign.
However, Jones has proven he has the credentials to keep Charlton safe from League One relegation next season, with Championship rivals around them in turmoil.
Charlton Athletic’s Championship rivals could have a hand in their survival
Ahead of the 2025/26 Championship campaign, several second tier sides are in financial turmoil, which could have a big impact on next season’s prospects.
Sheffield Wednesday are under a three-window transfer embargo, and Hull City are also under embargo by the EFL.
As a result of the embargo-enforced restrictions, Elek added that this could aid Charlton’s fight to avoid the drop.
He added: “And also when you look at the Championship next season, you have Sheffield Wednesday who you know are under an embargo and hopefully their sale will go through soon from a neutrals perspective.
“Hull also under embargo too, currently waiting for news on a point deduction from Leicester. There are a lot of teams in the Championship that aren’t particularly upwardly mobile but Charlton are absolutely that.”
As a result of the Owls and Hull being threatened with relegation next season amid financial plight off the pitch, Jones and Charlton must capitalise to prove their doubters wrong by surviving the dreaded drop.