'Maverick qualities' - We get Portsmouth and Luton Town viewpoints on Millenic Alli's Charlton Athletic transfer
Winger, 26, has signed four-year deal to become the Addicks' fifth addition of the window
Millenic Alli was announced as Charlton Athletic’s fifth signing of the summer transfer window this morning.
The 26-year-old arrives from Luton Town on a contract until 2030.
No fee has been disclosed but reports have claimed that Dublin-born Alli, who has been capped once by the Republic of Ireland, cost £1.5million.
Here South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition has got the lowdown on the winger’s time at his two most recent clubs - Luton Town and Portsmouth.
We have caught up with Jordan Cross from the Portsmouth News and Lewis Williams, a Luton Town and EFL content creator on YouTube.
Millenic Alli uses his strength to fend off Norwich’s Pelle Mattsson last season/Picture: Alamy
Alli cut his teeth in non-league football at South Shields, Ashton United, Stockport County, Chorley and FC Halifax Town.
At the age of 23 he signed for Exeter City in January 2024 after 16 goals in 54 appearances for the Shaymen in the National League.
A year later he was on the move again. Alli scored nine goals in the first half of the 2024-25 League One season for the Grecians, seven of them coming from December 21 onwards, to land a switch to Luton Town at the end of the January 2025 transfer window.
Matt Bloomfield was the Hatters manager at the time. The head of their recruitment? Phil Chapple, who returned to Charlton in May 2025.
“Milli is a player who we have come up against a few times and he’s always impressed with his pace, power and individual dribbling ability to get his team up the pitch,” Bloomfield told Luton’s official website.
Alli collected four goals in 16 appearances, two of those coming in a 5-3 loss at West Brom on the final day of the 2024-25 season.
Bloomfield was sacked in October of the following campaign and replaced by Jack Wilshere. The former Arsenal midfielder started Alli in his first match in charge - a 2-0 home defeat to Mansfield - but the attacker quickly struggled to gain opportunities.
“I’m sure that there will be a time where he gets his confidence back, finds his rhythm again and he will be able to help us in a certain way, but I also understand that he needs to play - so we could be open to that,” said Wilshere, speaking shortly before Alli’s loan to Portsmouth in January.
Some of the main attacking stats posted by Tyreece Campbell and Millenic Alli last season - the Charlton man played nearly double the amount of matches but a chunk of those were at wing-back
Luton vlogger Williams told South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition: “It is a strange signing for me. I wouldn’t have thought Nathan (Jones) would go for a player like this - even though I do think there is potentially a good player there.
