There has been plenty of speculation about possible departures from The Valley, but the first of the summer arrivals could be imminent.

Russell Slade made calls to Premier League and Championship managers on Monday, as well as discussing targets with chief scout, Steve Head.

Slade will want to start forging his squad as soon as possible, and next week should see the first arrivals and departures.

The newly rebranded English Football League, announced changes to the League Trophy format from next season on Friday.

From their anuual conference base in Portugal, the EFL revealed that 64 teams will contest the 2016/17 competition.

The 48 League One and League Two clubs will be joined by 16 Premier League Under-21 teams.

The initial stage will comprise 16 groups of four teams – presumably one Premier League side in each group – with the top two qualifying for the knockout stages.

The competition is likely to retain its regionalised format, with the two area winners contesting the final at Wembley in April.

The English Football League sides in the competition will receive a fee from the Premier League to compensate for possibly missing out on a Wembley appearance.

There have been various attempts to involve Premier League second string teams in Football League competitions. FA chairman, Greg Dyke, wanted the League to create an extra division to accommodate some Premier League reserve sides.

The format will be a one season experiment and is likely to be unpopular with fans of the EFL clubs. The competition represents their most realistic chance of winning a trophy, which will be severely dented under the new format.

Full details will be revealed in the next two weeks.