One of the longest transfers in Charlton history looks about to be concluded as Zheng Zhi heads off to the glamorous pastures of West Bromwich where he will again have the dual challenge of coming terms with another new language whilst fighting another relegation battle.
If the rumours are right, we should recoup about £2.5m, due in part to Zheng's marketability in Asia. It should also mean that we are close by my reckoning to having pulled in £7m during the Summer with less than £1m spent and possibly closer to £0.5m actually committed (add-ons in the Bailey deal might be worth £0.3m?). That being the case, Pards might find himself with a bit of spare cash if Richard Murray was to be taken at his word on his "£5m net sellers" comments in July. Of course, the financial situation may have worsened although it's hard to see how. There's nothing that would appear to have happened to worsen our position since July; season ticket sales must have met or exceeded forecast and we have actually gone considerably further in cost-cutting than even Richard Murray alluded to.
So, let's imagine Pards has a £1m to spend. Who should we go for? One, or two? Several more non-league lucky dips? Perhaps we should hang on until the January sales? For me, I would be tempted to go for another centre-half or defensive midfielder as cover because we could look exposed very quickly as things stand. Better to get the benefit of a stronger squad for the next 5 months than wait until January. Also, our chances of strengthening for a promotion push are not great, so better to buy for security now.
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