Lee Bowyer is determined not to lose any more of his young stars for a fraction of the their true worth.
Joe Aribo would have brought a seven figure fee in the market, but was allowed to run down his contract.
Because he moved to a ‘foreign’ club, the Addicks only received minimal compensation – believed to be in the region of £300,000.
Bowyer will not allow a repeat of that situation, and has been pro-active in opening discussions with Anfernee Dijksteel.
Dijksteel made a real breakthrough last season, and could be a vital component in the Championship.
His athleticism may well give him the edge over Chris Solly in Bowyer’s thoughts, and the manager is clearly keen to secure his future:
“I’ve spoken to his (Dijksteel’s) agent and said: ‘Right, we want to get things moving again’, I won’t have that situation regarding a young player happening again – what happened with Joe.
“I’ve told his agent: ‘Either come in and sign or things will be slightly different’,” said Bowyer.
The player seems keen to continue his career at The Valley, so hopefully a new deal can be sorted out.
But Bowyer’s comments suggest that if terms can not be agreed, the club would be willing to listen to offers for the talented Dutch youngster.
Bowyer is also keen to clarify the future of two of his senior players.
Charismatic crowd favourite, Lyle Taylor, and team captain, Jason Pearce, are the players in question;
”We have spoken to Lyle’s people and Lyle.
“That was before we went away. They know the situation. We will revisit that soon.
“There is him and Pearcey, we spoke to him when we were away
“We’re trying to sort something out there as well.”
Keeping the key members of the current squad is every bit as important as bringing new faces into the club.
Bowyer faces a busy few weeks in the run-up to the new season, both on the field and off it.