Back in September 2025 I published a podcast interview with Ricky Holmes.
It has kind of gnawed away at me a little that I never did the chat as a written piece, because everyone consumes content in different ways.
So there is a good chance some subscribers never listened, and I felt there were some really honest answers from the club’s 2017 Player of the Year, particularly when it came to the background behind his transfer to Sheffield United in January 2018.
I’ve chosen to largely stick to the period when Holmes was on the Addicks payroll but the podcast - which can be found here - also covers the latter stages of his career, including dropping back into the non-league game, as well as starting his coaching journey at Chelmsford City.
Holmes, now 39, signed for Charlton in June 2016. He scored 19 goals in 64 league and cup appearances for the south Londoners.
The Rochford-born winger moved to the Blades on a two-and-a-half-year contract in January 2018, becoming their fourth signing of the January transfer window.
Ricky Holmes celebrates scoring the first of two goals against Shrewsbury in August 2016 - opening his account after his transfer from Northampton/Picture: Keith Gillard
Joining Charlton in June 2016 on a two-year contract from Northampton.
“When it came about I couldn’t believe it, to be honest. I had moved around the country left, right and centre - different clubs. When a club like Charlton comes knocking and all you have done is play League Two and non-league then you can’t really turn it down.
“I was at a big club in Portsmouth (between June 2013 and January 2015) but they were in a transition phase, it was probably bad timing to go down there.
“Myself and Chris Wilder were supposed to come as a double deal. It was pretty much all agreed. We had just had a really successful season at Northampton.
“I was away on holiday, with the lads. I thought ‘let’s go out on the piss for a few days, celebrate and then get it all sorted’. My agent rang and said: ‘Look Rick, you’ve got to come back and sign for Charlton’. I said: ‘Yeah, I know that. But I’m on holiday. I will sign on the day we agreed’. He said: ‘No, no, no - you need to come back or it might fall through’.
