Charlton boss Lee Bowyer was "over the moon" at the signing of Ben Amos yesterday.
The 29-year-old, who had a successful loan with the club in 2017/18, signed a permanent deal with Charlton following the expiry of his contract at Bolton Wanderers.
Bowyer spoke to www.cafc.co.uk about the signing, below are the key talking points.
On having Ben Amos back at Charlton...
“I’m over the moon. He did really well the last time he was with us; he’s a man mountain at the back, so I’m delighted that he’s come back and now we have two good goalkeepers. Two permanents, which is something we haven’t had for years at the club, so it’s all positive for me.”
On the battle to start in goal...
“Yeah. It’s a challenge for Dillon and it’s a challenge for Ben. We have got two goalkeepers and we want good, healthy competition, the same for every position. The best person will play, so to have two top goalkeepers competing, it’s good for us and the team. If the number one at the time is not at it, not playing well, then we have another good goalkeeper to come in. It’s the perfect scenario for me.”
"They will push each other; they both want to be better than the other one and it’s healthy competition. That’s how much better it is than to have a goalkeeper that’s good and a goalkeeper that’s not so good because then the other one can relax and think ‘he’s not going to take my place’. Now we have two good ones, good healthy competition, they’re both friends and I’m sure Marsh (Andy Marshall) will be pushing them every day. It’s going to be good to see them both improve and push each other through the season”
On Amos making great saves
“It’s a part of his job to make saves, but for me what he was doing coming for crosses and relieving pressure for us, is just important as the saves. He’s got to work at things as well and we know he’s not the finished article, but for sure he’s a very good goalkeeper, great shot-stopper and a great addition to our squad. He’s another one that has come in and wants to prove themselves at this level and is hungry, the type of person we are trying to bring in.”
On next steps in the transfer market...
“We have a few pending at the moment, we have made offers to them, so we’re hoping at least two of them will happen this week. Then, it might be a case of taking our foot off the pedal a bit, reevaluating what the availability is, because it is changing day to day. The amount of calls and stuff that Steve, myself, Jacko (Johnnie Jackson) get, the recommendations we’re getting from agents and football clubs, is getting more and more every day. So, we need to get our priorities right which is a striker next, and that’s the one we’re going to be pushing for, and a midfielder to join him and then we will re-evaluate.”
Transcription by: Josh Eden
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