Charlton Athletic are delighted to announce the signing of experienced midfielder Luke Berry, who will join the club following the expiration of his contract at Luton Town.
The 31-year-old has been promoted from all three EFL divisions and recently added his name to a very short list of players who have scored in each of England’s top-five leagues after netting twice in 17 Premier League appearances for Luton last season.
Berry has put pen to paper on a two-year contract, with a club option of an additional year, reuniting with Nathan Jones and becoming the Addicks’ second summer signing following the arrival of Will Mannion.
He said: “Nathan [Jones] told me how great the club is. When I finished up at Luton, I rang him straight away and wanted to get it going.
"This Charlton team is a really good team. We just need to believe in ourselves, put in the hard work and I can see us doing something special.”
Manager Nathan Jones commented: “Luke’s someone that I signed for Luton in 2017. He’s one of the best goalscoring midfielders outside of the Premier League in recent years in terms of his outputs and we’re really delighted to have him.
“He’s a player I know very well as a character, athlete and footballer. It’s a significant signing for us with the track record that he’s got of promotions. He’s obviously had three promotions with Luton and that’s exactly what we’ve brought him in for. We’ve fought off a lot of competition to get him and I’m just pleased that our club and my relationship with him has enabled us to get the signing over the line. I’m sure he’s going to be a significant signing for the club.
“His last appearance was in the Premier League and his next appearance is going to be for Charlton Athletic, so that’s the type of calibre that we want to attract. We’ve fought off a lot of Championship interest for Luke.
“He’s similar to me in terms of wanting to be part of another project and wanting somewhere where he can be for a while and get his teeth stuck into. He’s someone that I absolutely love working with on a day-to-day basis and that’s going to continue.”
Technical Director Andy Scott added: “As part of this summer’s recruitment strategy we want to add quality, experience and a winning mentality to the young talent we have in our squad. We’re delighted to sign Luke, a player who ticks all those boxes and who has an excellent track record working under Nathan.
“Having played most recently in the Premier League and achieved three promotions in seven seasons, we’re really pleased to bring Luke to Charlton to be reunited with Nathan, a manager who knows how to get the best out of him."
Berry progressed through Cambridge United’s youth ranks and made 150 appearances during his first spell with the club, culminating in 2013/14 when he scored 16 goals as the U’s won the Conference Premier play-offs and lifted the FA Trophy.
He then spent a season in League One with Barnsley before returning to Cambridge, where he featured another 105 times, scoring 35 goals. The midfielder was also named in the 2016/17 PFA League Two Team of the Year.
That prompted Jones to sign Berry for Luton in August 2017 and his goalscoring form continued as he played a key role in the Hatters’ second-place finish in his debut campaign. His performances saw him named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year for the second successive season.
He returned from an ankle injury during the following campaign to help Luton lift the League One title and secure promotion to the Championship.
The midfielder remained a vital part of the squad as the Hatters established themselves in the second tier during the following three seasons.
The 2022/23 campaign would prove to be another memorable one for the fans’ favourite, who converted a crucial penalty to help fire Luton into the Premier League following a dramatic shootout victory against Coventry City at Wembley.
Berry etched his name into the Luton history books as the first player to score in all four of English football’s top divisions for the club following his late equaliser against Nottingham Forest at Kenilworth Road in March 2024.
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