The Charlton players report back for pre-season training today. This week will mainly comprise of assessments by the medical and sports science staff, before the real work starts in Portugal next week.

Bowyer’s ethos is to split the season down into blocks of ten games, and set targets for those segments.

He has targeted six or seven wins from the opening ten games. Bowyer has probably earmarked the five home games for the bulk of those wins, with Accring‎ton and Luton possibly offering the best chances for success on the road. Bowyer was quite bullish about his team’s chances at Sunderland on the opening day though.

Some players relish getting back into the swing of things, while others are not so keen. Pre-season training, though hard, is not as onerous as it once was.

The players are given individual fitness plans for the summer, and do not lose too much condition.

Bowyer has kept in touch with his players during the break and gave this insight into his thoughts:

“I spoke to Jake (Forster-Caskey) just briefly on last season and how he found it, as obviously he played in a slightly different role under myself. I spoke to him about the football side of things, he was very good. He was away with his girlfriend at the time.”

Bowyer switched the formation to a traditional 4-4-2, whereas his predecessor, Karl Robinson, favoured the 4-2-3-1 system.

Under Bowyer, Forster-Caskey played in a more advanced role.

Bowyer’s skipper, Jason Pearce, is raring to go:

“I’ve spoken to Pearcey a couple of times. He’s just raring to go. Pearcey is Pearcey, he just can’t wait to get back and get into it.

“He’s excited with a couple of the players we’ve mentioned we are looking to bring in. You can tell that we’re pushing to move everything in the right direction.”

The players in question appear to be AFC Wimbledon striker Lyle Taylor, and a midfielder.

Bowyer said the two deals were ‘very close’, but Taylor is also wanted by Sunderland.

‎Pearce’s central defensive partner, Patrick Bauer, has been the subject of interest from Blackburn.

The Addicks knocked back a bid – believed to be in the region ‎of £400,000 – for the German, and Bowyer hopes he has convinced him to stay:

“I said to Pat, ‘What they’ve offered Pat, we couldn’t replace you. You’re an excellent centre half’. He agreed himself.

“Obviously hopefully we keep him. I’ve said to him, ‘Pat, I don’t want you to go, I want you to stay. You’re a good player for us.

“You and Pearcey were excellent at the back end of the season. You hardly conceded any goals, so as a Manager I want you to stay’. So I said to him to stay and get promotion with us next season.”

‎A new face for Bowyer will be Igor Vetokele, who will be at Sparrows Lane this morning:

“He’s been out on loan in the 18 months I’ve been here, so it will be interesting to see what he is like, on the pitch and off the pitch.

“I’ve heard good things about him and I know that I’m going to have players coming in. Everyone is going to be fighting for their place.

“Jacko has mentioned him and said he’s a decent player. He’s been away a long time playing abroad, so you don’t know what his fitness will be like or anything.

“It’s completely different to the English game, especially in League One where it is so physical and demanding – whether he’ll be ready for that I don’t know but I’m looking forward to meeting him, for sure.”

‎It seems unlikely that Vetokele will be at Charlton for the season.

There is plenty to be done before the group get on the plane to Portugal on Sunday. Bowyer will be hoping to sign a new player or two by then, as well as recruiting a replacement for goalkeeping coach, Lee Turner.