Charlton Athletic owner Thomas Sandgaard has confirmed to South London Press that they received ‘a lot of money’ from Nick Pope’s transfer from Burnley to Newcastle United.
Charlton Athletic had Pope on their books for five years between 2011 and 2016 and included a sell-on clause in his contract.
The goalkeeper left The Valley for Burnley and made a name for himself at the Lancashire-based side, going on to be a key player in their seasons in the Premier League and earning eight caps for England in the process.
But after sealing the switch to Newcastle United this summer, it has given Charlton Athletic something to smile about other than pride for their former player, as the sell-on clause means they pocket some extra cash. Details of the amount have not been revealed, although this may come to light in the future.
“We got a lot of money out of that one, I’m very pleased with that,” said Sandgaard in an interview with South London Press.
“Clubs like us, who develop a lot of our academy players will naturally in some years have good income from that sort of sell on.
“Especially since the players are not always fully developed when we sell them and it is a limited amount we get – when they fully develop at a Premier League club then you can see how much they can be worth. It’s nice the system gives us the opportunity to make something out of it at that stage.”
A great bit of business for the Addicks…
Sell-on clauses don’t always materialise how clubs want them to and so to have such success this time around is a great bit of business for Sandgaard and Charlton Athletic.
An injection of income is always positive and so the Addicks will now look to spend their money made from Pope’s sale in the transfer market. They can use this for vital reinforcements to bolster their squad and make a push for the division’s top six after a 13th placed finish last time out.
They have made five signings so far and if they can spend the money earned from the sell-on wisely they will stand a good chance of getting back to the Championship after being relegated in 2020.
The Addicks face Accrington Stanley in their opening game of the 2022/23 season at the end of this month.
