Charlton Boss Lee Bowyer Eager to Secure West Ham Youngster on Permanent Deal Next Summer

​Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has revealed he is eager to make Josh Cullen's loan move from West Ham permanent, but admits the League One side must overcome one stumbling block to make it happen.  

Cullen, 22, has impressed those at Charlton in his first five appearances for the club having collected two assists to date, and with his contract with the Hammers set to expire next season the Addicks are hopeful of taking advantage of the uncertainty surrounding his future.

However, Charlton have a strict budget and fear they may be unable to meet the midfielder's wage demands on a permanent contract, where the blessing of Manuel Pellegrini will also be needed to allow Cullen to leave the London Stadium. 

With his talent already making those at the Addicks sit up and take notice, Bowyer admitted he would like to bring the youngster to the club permanently but they might struggle to make it happen. 

“Obviously if they were interested in selling him then we would be interested in taking him," Bowyer told the ​South London Press. “He has definitely improved us. He is a very good player, for sure.

Good win on my home debut for @CAFCofficial and the run continues✅ Lads were brilliant and thanks to the fans for sticking with us from the first whistle right until the end ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ygyyDYLEf0

— Josh Cullen (@JoshCullen) September 22, 2018

"I don’t really know but all I can say is the owner, in the past, has said the young ones are assets.

"The problem we would probably have would be his wages. That could be a problem – we’ve got a budget. But maybe the owner or the new people, if they come in, might find it doable,” he added.

Cullen is a gradate of ​West Ham's academy after joining the club in 2010, where he made his first team debut in 2015 during the 3-0 victory over Lusitanos in the Europa League qualifying round. 

Source: 90min

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