NYT: Rak-Sakyi in for £4m

The soccer ball coverage by the New York Times is suddenly taking an interest in Charlton.

They report: Crystal Palace forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is close to joining Charlton Athletic.  A deal worth in excess of £4 million for the 23-year-old to return to the Valley is expected to be completed.

Rak-Sakyi spent the 2022-23 season on loan at Charlton during their League One campaign, winning their player of the year award after scoring 15 times in 49 appearances across all competitions.

He was then kept at Palace the following season playing just eight times, being denied the opportunity for a temporary move away, before playing 36 times for Sheffield United in the Championship in 2024-25, scoring seven times.

Last summer The Athletic reported that Scottish side Rangers had made an offer to loan Rak-Sakyi with a potential obligation buy worth up to £10m rejected by Palace, who sought a fee closer to the £20m Ipswich Town paid Chelsea for Omari Hutchinson.

He eventually was loaned to Caykur Rizespor in Turkey last season where he played 13 times and scored four goals before moving to Stoke City in January and playing a further 16 games.

Rak-Sakyi, who has been capped by England at Under-20 and Under-21 level, has failed to make an impression sufficient to force his way into the Palace squad and he was not in Palace’s plans this season with a year remaining on a five-year contract he signed in 2022.'

£5m had been quoted as a price, so clearly a better deal has been secured.  It will be difficult for moaners to complain that the owners have stinted the manager in this transfer window.

Tottering Hotspur? Il campo parla

One of my favourite trips to the old White Hart Lane was when we won 1-0, Spurs fan Chris Powell scoring the goal.

My stepdaughter has undertaken some of the design work for the new stadium.  Although she is more used to working on venues such as airports, she says she has never seen such a high standard of finish.

Building the new stadium, surely the finest in the country, distracted the club from the pitch leading to Spurs only just avoiding relegation last year.   Much the same happened at Arsenal with the move to the Emirates.

Now a change in leadership has seen more investment in the team.  However, it doesn't seem to have paid off at Brentford on Saturday, although there are still signings to come.

The Sunday Times reported: 'Spurs looked worryingly reminiscent of that side that buckled under the first sign of pressure last season.  Brentford pulverised Tottenham from start to finish.   De Zerbi was a little ball of frustration on the side.'

His watchword is 'Il campo parla', the pitch speaks.   Haringey's finest will want to show what they can do on Wednesday.   Charlton could well get thumped, but the more important match is against Preston North End on Saturday.

A defeat will give the pessimists and negativists their first chance this season, but the result will be no reflection of the calibre of the management or the team.

Tyreece Campbell has signed a new four year contract with the club.

One way ticket to Falmer on Ezenwata's journey

Richard Cawley reports, ‘we know it is a familiar tale that top academy products are lured away before they sign professional terms. Chetam Ezenwata is the latest one.

The 16-year-old defender, touted for a big future in the game, announced on his social media that he has joined Brighton. The Seagulls also landed goalkeeper James Beadle from the Addicks in January 2022.

Ezenwata won the 2026 Steve Clarke Trophy at Charlton, which recognises outstanding progress at U16 level.

“After five unforgettable years with this great club, it’s now time for me to open the next chapter of my story,” said the teenager on his Instagram. “To all my coaches, the staff, my amazing team-mates - with whom I have formed some unbreakable bonds over the years - and all the parents and fans that cheered us on through every win and loss, I say thank you all immensely for being a part of my journey.”’

 

NYT praises soccer ball threat Campbell

Keith Jones scored the winning goal in a 1-0 win at The Valley over Liverpool.   Luke 'Warm' Young found the net in a 2-0 win.

When Charlton were in the Premier League and we beat, for example, Liverpool all the resultant media coverage was on the lines of 'what has gone wrong at Liverpool?'

I predicted the same would happen with Saturday's victory against Wet Spam and so it has.  For example, The Times has a page feature on the club's woes.

Rather unusually The New York Times had a match report on a Championship game that did not involve Wrexham, but you would have had difficulty working out that Charlton were on the pitch.

However, there was one interesting paragraph: 'Tyreece Campbell initiated most of Charlton’s attack down the left flank. The winger subjected full-back Kyle Walker-Peters to a tough afternoon with his pace and unpredictability in possession. His performance was a reminder that West Ham do not have a player that offers a similar threat.'

Yet the armchair managers were telling us last year that he was useless and he was a scapegoat player for many fans.  Their response is that he has undergone a metamorphosis.  

AI avatar Desmond from Deal imploded after Saturday's game, but is now forecasting that Charlton will get their just deserts at Spurs.   No doubt they will want to offset their dubbing by mighty Brentford.

Unconfirmed reports are appearing on social media that Charlton have agreed to sign Jesurun Rak-Sakyi from Crystal Palace for £5.  There is no authoritative confirmation of these reports.

Victory north of the river

What is wrong with Wesr Ham?' will be the media story tomorrow, but Charlton fans will be celebrating an unexpected 2-1 win at the London Stadkum.

It was a case of deja vu when Charlton's goals were scored first by captain Lloyd Jones on seven minutes and then by Tyreece Campbell.

An underwhelming home side pulled one back on 74 minutes.  They then had a chance to equalise when Conor Coventry hand balled in the box, but hit the post from the penalty spot.

Charlton are 2nd in the table behind the Spanners on goal difference.

I featured Charlton fan and author Charlie Connelley yesterday and today is his 56th birthday.

Lloyd Jones opened the scoring with an early overhead kick after the hosts allowed Sonny Carey's long throw-in to bounce inside their penalty area.

Seven days after securing Charlton's win over the Rams, man of the matchTyreece Campbell was in clinical form again to dispossess the dithering Konstantinos Mavropanos, enter the box and curl in shortly after the break to double the lead in front of a sell-out crowd of 62,500, including more than 3,000 gleeful Addickted.

West Ham’s coach Nuno Espirito Santo was unimpressed to see Miles Leaburn gifted the ball for a run that ended with the forward sending a fierce shot wide, summing up a first half in which Charlton proved considerably more dangerous than their opponents in the first league edition of this fixture since 2007.

Despite their lack of cutting edge, West Ham could have levelled seconds before the interval when Castellanos had a glorious chance to take his tally to four goals in his past five home league games, only to plant a header straight at Arthur Okonkwo when Ollie Scarles' curling cross found the forward unmarked in front of goal.

Nuno sent on Lewis Orford for Mohamadou Kante in midfield for the second half, which his side began by applying ample pressure before more sloppiness afforded Campbell a chance the Jamaica international took to double Charlton's lead.

Making his Charlton bow, Okonkwo brilliantly tipped Divine Mukasa's drive away as part of an inspired display against an attack featuring new West Ham signing Arne Engels, as well as home debutant Manor Solomon.

Piroe, having seen a goal ruled out after the ball had gone out of play before his finish, pulled one back to give the hosts hope.

The lively Jarrod Bowen created further opportunities and Castellanos skimmed a header narrowly wide as Nuno's players pushed to replicate Burnley's comeback against them at Turf Moor.

Castellanos looked poised to complete the comeback in last-gasp fashion, but his miss ensured the celebrations and relief belonged to Charlton after a gritty, incisive display that ensured they joined Millwall as the only teams to have won both of their first two Championship matches.

London clubs

Charlton fan Charlie Connelley brought out a book called London Fields about football in London.  A lot of it was about non-league clubs and even the Sunday games on Hackney marshes, but he did find time to discuss a then projected move of Charlton to the Millennium dome.

I can't find my copy of the book, but it may still be in store after my house move in November.  Boxes of books are located behind the furniture going to my granddaughter's new home in Swansea.

Alternatively, it may be in Spain. My middle daughter was a friend of Charlie's at uni and if I take one of his books to her Spanish farm, it is usually appropriated.

Charlie lived in Deal for many years, but then relocated to Scotland where he is said to be 'missing Charlton Athletic terribly.'   His account on X has been dormant since 2024 and there have been no new books so I hope he is ok.

Anyway the real point here is what does one think of other London clubs.    I rather like Brentford as they have pulled themselves up by their boot straps.   A good friend of mine has lived in the same house in Acton all his life and has always been a supporter (thankfully not QPR).

If the 'Woolwich Rejects' had not moved north of the river there might not be a Charlton.  My stepdaughter is a fan and her husband has a season ticket.

And what about West Ham?  My father was born in North Woolwich and played his non-league football on that side of the river.  He was actually at the famous first cup final at Wembley.

An often forgotten phase in Charlton history is when we played there while waiting for The Valley to be finished.  We were much better treated there than at Selhurst Park.

Moreover, West Ham dislike Millwall (and are anticipating the 'Dockers' Derby).

That doesn't, of course, mean that we don't want to beat them tomorrow.

CAS Trust looks forward to both of the London derbies and notes the comment made by Nathan Jones that it will be a tough week that will stretch Charlton: https://www.castrust.org/2026/08/west-ham-a-warm-up-for-tottenham/

AI avatar Desmond from Deal says that thumpings in the two local derbies may finally convince his few fans that Jones has to go.

FT slates scourge of Charlton

Lord Young of Acton is associate editor of the Spectator.   The late Rod Liddle spearheaded the magazine's campaign against the 'Charltification' of football.   Lord Young ('Tobes') is a keen Super Hoop and often complains about QPR in his column which must baffle the average Speccie reader.  In her tribute to Liddle, former employee Kemi Badenoch called it the Sextator.

Editor Lord Gove knows little about football and less about Charlton so he may well drop the campaign.  Liddle was a talented wordsmith and, as a Millwall supporter, had been attacking Charlton for years in both the Sunday Times and the Spectator.  

However, the 'Charltificatuon' article escalated matters to a new level.  Before then Liddle had mainly resorted to rather tired memes about anoraks and train spotters.  I was baffled by the notion that Charlton was a 'woke' club and was somehow leading other clubs along the wrong path.  Our moaners often say that Charlton are a laughing stock, but the reality is that most fans have hardly ever heard of us.  For example, my chiropodist is a keen football fan (Villa) but doesn't even know which division we are in.  The idea that top clubs are taking cues from us is laughable.

As far as Lord Young is concerned, one question is whether he will renew his unrequited feud with fanzine editor Rick Everitt.   After his failure last year to stage a confrontation with the Rickster on Margate beach last autumn, there was speculation that he might go to the Thanet council offices with a loud hailer and urge Everitt to 'man up' and 'come outside'.  The confrontation between the two folically challenged supporters could then be filmed by fellow QPR fan Louis Theroux.   However, Everitt might well decide to stay in his Ramsgate lair.

I have messaged the noble lord to ask about his intentions, particularly when comes to The Valley, but he has not replied.

Things have been a little tricky for Lord Young recently (he is the son of Lord Young of Dartington, but it is a life peerage).  First, he received several mentions in the Epstein files and for a while it looked as if the new UK Government might respond to calls for the British links of Epstein to be investigated.*

Now the Financial Times has launched an investigation into Young's Free Speech Union which was the vehicle he used to attack 'town hall tyrant' Everitt.   Critics argue that the FSU is interested in free speech for those who agree with its values.

The FT has been investigating in depth Young's links with the Trump administration in the US and the MAGA movement more generally.   The FSU's international umbrella organisation is due to receive $5m from the US State Department.

About seven FSU employees, equivalent to a quarter of the workforce, have resigned or been sacked in the last year, including the chief legal counsel.   One former employee told the FT, 'There's a sharp, sinister edge to the FSU today.   Previously they'd go to bat for, and were, the underdogs.  Now they are the classroom bullies.'  I doubt whether Everitt would succumb to bullying, particularly from a Super Hoop.

* Lord Young has made clear that he was inadvertently included in Epstein's contacts list as a result of a tenuous acquaintance with G Maxwell.   Lord Young has emphatically denied that he ever visited 'Paedo Islamd' (his terminology); traveled on the plane known as the Lolita Express; or met Epstein either at one of his homes or at an incarceration facility.   It is not implied that Lord Young has ever met or communicated with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor..