Charlton Athletic hand deal to released Luton Town defender Amari'i Bell

Experienced defender, 31, has worked before with Addicks manager Nathan Jones

Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones has made his fourth signing of the summer transfer window - reuniting with Amari’i Bell.

The Welsh boss was in charge of Luton Town when he signed the defender, 31, from Blackburn Rovers in 2021.

Bell was part of the Hatters side which won promotion to the Premier League. He made 21 appearances in the top flight but it was a campaign disrupted by injuries.

The Jamaican international has put pen to paper on a two-year contract at Charlton.

He was released by Luton Town following their relegation to League One at the end of last season.

Amari’i Bell in action for Luton Town against Fulham in the Premier League

Picture: Keith Gillard

Bell recently did a farewell piece with their YouTube channel and talked about Jones’ sales pitch being crucial to obtaining his signature.

He said: “I met with Nathan at the time. He was one of the deciding factors on me joining the club. He was a young, hungry manager and he had all these ideas, how he saw me playing. I just thought he would improve my game. I wanted to jump on board and work with him.”

Bell, who can play at left-back as well as centre-back, made 46 Championship starts for Luton when they won promotion to the Premier League in the 2022-23 season. He played every minute of their play-off campaign as they defeated Coventry City in the final at Wembley.

In total he featured 157 times for the Bedfordshire side and adds plenty of Championship experience - 195 matches - to the Charlton Athletic squad.

Talking about his time at Luton, Bell said: “It has been a crazy journey, one I probably couldn’t have imagined. I have learned so much about myself - it has been pivotal in my career.

“It (relegation) is still very raw. The season didn’t go as planned, as anyone thought it would. After the (final) game it was hard for me to speak to my family because it hurt so much.”

Charlton’s players returned for fitness testing earlier this week and play their first pre-season friendly at Dartford next Saturday.

Bell said: “It’s a fresh start for me and one that I’m looking forward to as Charlton are on the way back up. It’s another chance to work with Nathan, who is a great manager that knows how to get the best out of his players, and he certainly does for me. It’s going to be a great time.”

Jones added: "Amari'i's someone I know well. I signed him at Luton and he did fantastically well for me. He knows how I want to play, he has Championship and Premier League experience, and he's a wonderful athlete with pace and power.

“He will add to the group and we're really delighted because left-sided centre-halves are very difficult to come by."

Bell’s arrival makes it a hat-trick of additions this week by the Addicks, who have also paid fees for Luton Town goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski and Stockport County forward Isaac Olaofe.