New Charlton owner, Roland Duchatelet, issued his first statement on Friday afternoon.

Here’s what he told the club site:

“Charlton Athletic has a rich history, a cherished stadium, spent many years in the Premier League and has produced many talented young players over the years. These are just some of the factors which attracted me to it. I’m very much looking forward to the challenge of building on past achievements.

As a board the work begins immediately and we are already having regular discussions with Chris Powell about his plans for the rest of the season and the football club as a whole.

I am also delighted that Richard Murray has become non-executive Chairman. Richard has been a major part of some of the great times at Charlton and his knowledge and experience will be invaluable.

Richard will act as the spokesperson for the board, just as Chris Powell will represent the first team, and both men are hugely respected by our fans. I would also like to introduce Ms Katrien Meire who has been appointed onto the board and will be working at The Valley from now on.

Supporters can be assured that I will be following the team’s fortunes very closely.

It is a new era for Charlton and an exciting time for myself and the board. We will do our best to make sure there are many more reasons to be proud to be associated with the club in the years to come.”

The major surprise was the announcement that Katrien Meire has been appointed to the board. Meire is a qualified lawyer and was formerly the Legal and International Relations manager at Standard Liege, so it would seem she is ideally qualified to negotiate player contracts.

Ms Meire was educated in London and speaks perfect English.