Cambridge United goalkeeper Will Mannion agrees three-year contract with fellow Sky Bet League One side Charlton Athletic
Will Mannion has rejected the offer of a new contract with Cambridge United in favour of signing for fellow Sky Bet League One side Charlton Athletic.
With his United deal due to expire at the end of the month, the 26-year-old goalkeeper had been offered fresh terms to extend his stay at the Cledara Abbey Stadium into a fourth season.
However, the former England international has opted to switch to The Valley, where he has put pen to paper on a three-year deal, with the Addicks also having the option of a further 12 months.
Mannion told the Charlton website: “It feels great to be here. When the manager called me, it definitely perked my ears up.
“Collectively, the goal is to push for promotion. That was made clear when I spoke to the gaffer, and that’s something that drew me to the club, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do this season.”
Meanwhile, boss Nathan Jones added: “He’s an experienced goalkeeper. We’re looking to improve every department over the summer in what is a big recruitment window for us.
“We identified Will as a real good goalkeeper who has done fantastically well at Cambridge and he did well against us in the game that he played. He’s someone that’s a real good profile in terms of size, he’s on his way up, he’s really hungry and he wants to get to and play at a higher level. That’s what attracted us to him.
“He’ll provide real good competition to those who we bring into that department and obviously he brings a real talent to it. We want to improve the department.
“We’re looking to bring in two goalkeepers to have a real competitive edge to them and two we believe can play at not just this level, but also can play at the level above.”
Mannion made a total of 41 appearances in all competitions for Cambridge following his arrival in the summer of 2021.