Pope offer accepted and Henderson next
The ever reliable Rich Cawley has claimed that Burnley have reached the transfer amount that Duchatelet was hanging out for, thought to be £1m, and Nick Pope is returning from Austria to put pen to paper. I expect him to be unveiled at Turf Moor the same day next week as Johann Berg Gudmundsson.
Cawley also said that Nottingham Forest will make a move for fellow ‘keeper Stephen Henderson. The two keepers combined to help get us relegated but will not be joining the rest of us.
Pope played 33 times for Charlton and in all honestly rarely looked comfortable. Every time the ball went anywhere near him, panic used to strike me, and often him. Pope was signed from Bury Town and did widely impress on loan at a much lower level, where he was given long first team runs.
I would assume Burnley only watched him towards the end of last season when he was one bright spot helping to keep our goals against down to double figures! Pope will like many other ex-goalkeeping Addicks warm the bench in the Premier League next season behind the excellent Tom Heaton.
As for Henderson, his departure is not surprising. The Irishman is understood to have made his feelings about the owner and particularly the CEO very clear, especially after he was left to explain the Huddersfield debacle whilst Karel Fraeye hid.
I like Henderson and although, not alone, he had some rough patches last season, he is a solid keeper and at 28 is reaching the peak of his career. I would love to see him stay, but I don’t think he will. Forest’s current no.1 is the experienced Dutchman Dorus de Vries.
I wonder how well Russell Slade knew that he would lose the vast amount of the squad that he inherited? No one will be sold cheaply he said. Well with Zakarya Bergdich having his contract cancelled, I expect we will sell Ademola Lookman, Tony Watt and Jorge Teixeira. Morgan Fox, Tareiq Holmes Dennis, Cristian Cebellos and Callum Harriott will all have a price as well.
The pertinent question is, what funds will Slade be given to replace those that leave or will he be left with having to pick up trialists and free transfers with just 3 weeks left until the new season.
Chicago Addick 
CA, this is just more of the same isn’t it? Any thoughts that KM and RD had changed tack is smoke and mirrors.
Sure, we now have a manager with bucket loads of English league experience, but with almost the same breath, KM and RD are busily undermining Slade before our very eyes. Would Slade have played Cousins, Pope and Henderson in the preseason games if he knew they were leaving? How long will Slade stay, as squad numbers come crashing down around his ears, and he is left with stagers like Relegation Roger, stalwarts like JJ and Solly, a few triallists, youth players and a couple of old dogs?
I suspect that it is all slowly becoming apparent to Slade why Wilder and others didn’t want the gig. I feel another management change coming on, if not before we even kick off, then maybe if we are propping up League 1 as we move into autumn.
A few more will go and not be replaced and Slade will start the season as Luzon and Peeters both did, with a squad not adequate enough to compete.
I’m not convinced by the comments raised. We again are singing from the same song sheet but the tune has been rearranged to suit the situation. OK Henderson and Pope had a disasturous season, but then again so did the team who were just as guilty if not more so than either keeper.
Why anyone is surprised that keepers, players are sold moved on beats the hell out of me. We have been doing this for decades. In fact we are known as the selling club.
Slade on the other hand has been around long enough to have seen what KM and RD have done to our club and would most certainly been aware of how they have disregarded the very fabric that Charlton stands for.
His professionalistic approach and the years he has been in management will have a real impact regardless of whom he has to work with. Many have already voiced an opinion that nothing has changed. The cracks might have been glossed over.KM and RD looked like they have softened, but deep down they still run the roost.
I say this: If Slade walks because there are too many players being sold on the cheap when he was under impression what he had and brought in will be the final choice, then my valuation of him would nose dive considerably l feel there is far too much speculation on how the team will fare under the leadership of Slade before a ball is even kicked in division one.
Yes we have lost so far two friendlies. These games are designed as warm ups and to sort the men from the boys. We probably loose some more on the lead up to the proper shooting matches. Therefore getting behind the team and not the regime was the slogan last term. KM and RD are who they are and most probably will never be any different
All this negative talk is not helping. It messes with the mind. Rome was not build in a day. The club has gone through a massive change over the past two and a half years. We need to allow the new season to kick start and not judge events before they have aired.