Lee Bowyer is desperate for the January transfer window to open so he can freshen up his depleted squad.

Top priority will be a striker. Macauley Bonne and Lyle Taylor are the only fit senior forwards at the club, though young Josh Davison will be involved in the holiday fixtures.

Bowyer explained that he has the go ahead to sign a striker, though the situation is complicated by the pending change of ownership.

“We’re limited. We’ll have to bring the young kid – Josh – back in the squad. That’s our next striker.

“January is around the corner and we’ll be looking now. We were looking anyway, even more so. Now we need to bring in at least one more striker.”

‎”Loans is a bit easier sometimes (to bring in quickly) and we’re in contact already with clubs about strikers. 

“Matt is saying to us we have the go ahead to bring in another striker, but he ain’t paying a bill yet – we’ll have to go through Roland (Duchatelet) as well. Obviously Roland has to okay it but Matt is okay for the long term.

“What I mean by long term is that in the short term Roland has got to okay it for now – and even then Matt could have said no to it long term. But he is saying yes as well. He is saying long term to go and get a striker.”

‎Meanwhile, Bowyer has dismissed ideas of using one of the current squad as a makeshift striker. 

Naby Sarr looked a possible short term solution but Bowyer has not been impressed with his performances up front.

“He was poor when we put him up there – apart from the goal. He didn’t win a header and didn’t hold anything up. We just chucked him up there, like we did the other week against Sheffield Wednesday. 

“He took his goal well, but we know he can do that,” said Bowyer.

The Addicks will be looking to end their eleven match winless streak on Boxing Day. Bristol City scored a stoppage time goal to beat Bowyer’s team at Ashton Gate in October, but the manager will hope to have this game sewn up a little earlier.

The current injury situ‎ation gives Charlton few options, and Bowyer could name this team:

Phillips; Matthews, Lockyer, Pearce, Sarr, Purrington; Morgan, Pratley, Gallagher; Taylor, Bonne.

Subs: Maynard-Brewer, Solly, Oshilaja, Ledley, ‎Dempsey, Doughty, Davison,

There are some really tough games coming up, so the Addicks must try to make the most of home advantage.