Yann Kermorgant: "I was pushed out of Charlton Athletic by Roland Duchatelet"

The Addicks will always have a special place in French striker's heart....as he reveals why coaching has not been next step after retirement

Yann Kermorgant’s last appearance in a Charlton Athletic shirt was more than 11 years ago, but gone is most definitely not forgotten when it comes to the club’s fanbase.

If you were to compile a list of the most popular players to represent the Addicks in the past couple of decades, the 43-year-old would be very highly placed.

For a spell of 28 memorable months in SE7, Yann was the man.

Kermorgant added class to the Charlton Athletic attack when they won the League One title in 2012 under Chris Powell, scoring 12 goals after joining from Leicester City the previous August.

The Frenchman’s influence and impact was only underlined in the Championship, striking 12 times in 33 appearances as the south Londoners finished a highly-respectable ninth.

Picture: Keith Gillard

His performances and commitment earned respect and love from supporters. So much so that his sale to AFC Bournemouth in January 2014 is still something that fans struggle to get their heads around.

To set the scene, it came less than a month after Roland Duchatelet had bought Charlton Athletic. The Belgian businessman already owned a number of European clubs, including Standard Liege.

Duchatelet certainly made some bold decisions, but that does not mean they were the correct ones. As well as cashing in on Kermorgant, he also sold midfielder Dale Stephens to Brighton.

Five of the six incoming transfers in that first window were from the network of clubs that Duchatelet owned, including goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, full-back Loic Nego, striker Reza Ghoochannejhad and Astrit Ajdarevic.

Handing Kermorgant a new improved deal at that time was an open goal tap-in for Duchatelet. It was a opportunity he thrashed wildly over the crossbar from four yards out.

“It was a really difficult period because I saw something changing in the club - definitely a big change with the new owner coming in,” Kermorgant told South London Sport: Charlton Athletic Edition.

“I would say within a few weeks I could see he didn’t have a clue about football. He didn’t understand it - and especially not English football.