Charlton Athletic have experienced a mixed start to the season with a bright start to the campaign now giving way to a run of stodgy performances without the results.

Having survived relegation in their first season back in the second-tier last season following their League One play-off final victory in May 2025 against Leyton Orient, Charlton would have anticipated to have improved over the summer.

Tactical evolution always appeared to be unlikely under the management of Nathan Jones but there is an argument that the style has become even more conservative this time around.

Rather than building and evolving, Charlton supporters will be forgiven for feeling as though their standing still has actually led to them going backwards and a relegation battle may well beckon.

There are plenty of options for Nathan Jones to move through to find a spark in the final third and one that he has not yet tried this season is the starting and playing of Harvey Knibbs.

Charlton Athletic implored to give Harvey Knibbs a chance

Having arrived from Reading in the summer of 2025, following The Addicks’ promotion, Harvey Knibbs almost immediately found himself on the periphery of Nathan Jones’ first-choice lineup.

The 27-year-old Bristol-born attacker, who can play in the so-called ‘number ten’ as well as up-front and out-wide, managed 26 appearances in the Championship last season but has only added two more this time around.

With plenty of options and ideas of Jones not working out thus far, FLW’s Charlton Fan Pundit Chris Woodward believes that Harvey Knibbs really should now be given a chance with his departure not something that be countenanced just yet.

Chris says: “I would keep Harvey Knibbs around for the time being and don’t think it is worth loaning him or selling him just yet.

“The attacking midfielder position is one we have really struggled with this season.

“We have played five different players there this season in (Micah) Mbick, (Sonny) Carey, (Joe) Rankin-Costello, (Timothy) Ouma and (Karlan) Grant, with none of them being able to tie down that spot for themselves and not putting good performances in that position.

“Knibbs hasn’t exactly set the world alight when he has played and he didn’t put in performances last season where you think ‘why on earth is not getting more game time?’

“But he is the one attacking midfield option we actually haven’t seen play aside from pre-season.

“He needs a chance purely on the fact that everybody else has performed so badly in that role.

“Even if he was incredibly average, he would arguably still be better than what other players have shown so far this season.

“We have nothing to lose giving Knibbs a chance and I don’t think he is worth selling or loaning unless he proves through his performances that he is not up to the level this season.”

Charlton have struggled in attack in the Championship

As is the way with a Nathan Jones-coached side, Charlton rely on defensive solidity and play in quite a conservative manner.

Their aggression and industry has served them well but the lack of threat is now becoming quite a big issue down at The Valley.

Having started the season with three successive victories and then a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion, Charlton’s 2-2 draw with Burnley extended their winless run of form to seven matches.

In those seven games, the 2-2 draw at Turf Moor was the only time in which they have managed to score more than a goal in a game and only four teams have now scored fewer than the South Londoners in the second-tier this season.

As Jones desperately searches for some sort of spark in the final third, former Cambridge United man Knibbs will surely soon be given a chance, rather than becoming yet another busted flush from the summer transfer window of 2025.

If he was to depart then he would join both Tanto Olaofe and Rob Apter in key summer signings that are now or have been previously already loaned out by Charlton.