Football
Exclusive: Wycombe, Burton, and St Mirren in Race to Sign Free Agent Chuks Aneke
Exclusive: Wycombe Wanderers, Burton Albion, and St Mirren are all pursuing former Charlton Athletic striker Chuks Aneke. Released by Charlton after a poor goal return, the 32-year-old believes he can still make an impact in League One. The clubs are looking to strengthen their squads before the transfer window closes.
Charlton Athletic v Leyton Orient - Sky Bet League One Play Off Final by NurPhoto | Getty Images
Wycombe Wanderers and Burton Albion are both chasing former Charlton Athletic striker Chuks Aneke, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
And Scottish Premiership side St Mirren have also made a tentative approach about whether the ex-Arsenal hitman would consider a move north of the border on a free transfer.
The 32-year-old centre-forward was released by the promoted Addicks at the end of May and has been searching for a new club ever since.
He played 138 games for the South East London club, scoring 27 goals during his four-year spell at The Valley.
Last season he played 26 games for the club as they secured a memorable promotion to the Championship last season after beating Leyton Orient in the League One play-off final at Wembley.
However, the former Birmingham City, MK Dons and Crewe Alexandra marksman mustered just one league goal all season last term.
His frustratingly poor goal return led Addicks boss Nathan Jones to release him alongside Dean Bouzanis, Aaron Henry and Tennai Watson.
"We would like to thank every departing player for their professionalism and commitment throughout their time at Charlton Athletic," said Jones.
"They have all played a big part in the environment and culture that we have been able to create, which has ultimately got us promoted to the Championship."
PLENTY TO OFFER
Our sources have learnt Aneke still believes he has plenty to offer in the lower divisions respectively and that he is confident of doing a job in League One this season.
The Chairboys and Brewers are both keen to strengthen further ahead of the transfer window shutting on Monday 1st September at 7pm.
And The Buddies are also looking to bolster their strikeforce ahead of their Scottish Premiership campaign.
Aneke started his career with Arsenal when he joined the club aged seven in 2001.
But, after signing a professional contract with the club in 2010, he made just one League Cup appearance in three years with the North London outfit.
Loan moves with Stevenage, Preston and Crewe followed before a two-season spell with Zulte Waregem in the Belgian Pro League.
MK Dons came calling and Aneke scored 30 goals in 84 league appearances before Charlton signed him in 2019.
He enjoyed his best season for the Addicks in the 2020-21 campaign, scoring 15 goals in 38 league games before leaving to join Birmingham City.
He returned to the Addicks for a second stint in 2023 but mustered just three goals in 43 league games before his departure.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.