Jason Euell: 'Record transfer fee is a source of pride - but I never felt any pressure about the price-tag'

In-depth on his Charlton Athletic career, including being frozen out under Iain Dowie, managerial ambitions and still having social events with Valley pals

Charlton Athletic’s record transfer fee paid was set 24 years ago - with promotion to the Championship this summer unlikely to see them break it.

Addicks chairman Gavin Carter emphasised before the League One play-off final win over Leyton Orient in May that there was “no lack of ambition or aspiration” when it came to future plans but preached the importance of “sustainability”, adding: “I do not want to do anything to jeopardise the future of the football club.”

Charlton are having a go in the transfer market though, at least when it comes to ensuring they give themselves the best chance of success in the 2025-26 season, although anyone with a healthy amount of realism will know that consolidation is key rather than any expectation of troubling the top six.

The recent arrival of Blackpool winger Rob Apter is believed to be a deal worth in excess of £2million - Naby Sarr’s arrival from Sporting Lisbon a decade ago is the last time that those kind of levels were reached. Striker Isaac Olaofe’s move from Stockport County on July 2 was for a fee around £1.5m.

The seven signings so far have got to have cost, as a conservative estimate, around the £7m mark before you then factor in the wages involved.

The dream harboured by supporters is for the south Londoners to return to the Premier League. But their former chief executive Steve Kavanagh recently provided a sobering financial breakdown of how difficult that is to do in the modern day game due to the vast parachute payments made to relegated Premier League sides.

Jason Euell’s £4.75million transfer from Wimbledon on July 4, 2001 is a reminder of those top-flight good times and still remains their record outlay.

Charlton had seven seasons in the top-flight before they were relegated in 2007. Including finishes of seventh, ninth, 11th (twice) and 13th.

The Addicks recruited Euell from a position of strength after finishing ninth in their first campaign back in England’s elite division.

Jason Euell has a shot against Manchester United

Picture: Keith Gillard

“I was actually supposed to go to Charlton the season before,” Euell, now 48, told South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition. “The year I got relegated with Wimbledon, I was on the verge of going. The clubs were talking. I had permission to go and speak to Charlton. Curbs asked me if it did happen whether I wanted to play up front or in midfield. I said: ‘I’ll play up front’. He said that was fine.

“A few days later I got injured in training by our goalkeeper at Wimbledon, Ian Feuer. I did my knee and I was out for six weeks, so the deal didn’t happen.

“That is when Charlton signed JJ (Jonatan Johansson) and Claus (Jensen). They were the two positions he (Curbishley) had asked me which I wanted to play in.

“What it allowed me to do was stay at Wimbledon for another year in the Championship. The job was could we get promoted from it? That was under Terry Burton. Even at that age, I was 23 going on 24, I was a senior player within the group because I’d been playing since I was 18. It was good that I was able to play that last year and score the amount of goals (20) that I did. In the end it made Charlton come back for me straight away.