Phil pleased with deadline-day dealings

Phil Parkinson has declared his pleasure with Charlton's business on transfer-deadline day - with the Addicks not only bringing in three new recruits but also hanging on to the club's chief playing assets.

A hectic day of activity saw Leon McKenzie, Luke Holden and Sam Sodje arrive in SE7, while Yassin Moutaouakil and Stuart Fleetwood departed The Valley on loan - and the official website struggled to cope with demand for news from supporters.

But once 5pm on Tuesday had passed, Parkinson could bask in the knowledge that not only had he strengthened his ranks in key areas, but despite constant speculation, the likes of highly-rated Jonjo Shelvey and Nicky Bailey were still Charlton players.

"We needed to move quickly and strengthen the squad the best way we could in the circumstances,” Phil explained to the official website. "Obviously, it's a difficult position for the club at the moment, and there have been some uncertainties regarding the financial situation, but we're pleased with how things went.

We've not only been able to bring in three additions, we also managed to hang on to all of our key players, and I'm grateful for that and for all the hard work going on behind the scenes. The chairman and the directors have been doing everything they can in the best interests of the club moving forward.

"We've kept a good group of players together and the spirit in the camp is very good," added Parkinson, who has led his team to the top of League One with a 100 per cent record after five league games. "We're just looking to continue the way we have started."

The first player to join the Addicks was striker McKenzie, for whom a deal was thrashed out over the bank holiday weekend, although the paperwork was only completed a couple of hours before the transfer deadline.

The second senior recruit - just after the deadline, although he was a free agent, so it didn't matter - was defender Sodje, who played 27 games for the club on loan in 2007/08.

Phil said: "It's great to have Leon and Sam, who are two experienced players at this level. They both really wanted to come to the club and be a part of what we're trying to build here. Leon is an experienced striker and can also play on the left-hand side of midfield, which added to his attraction. He prefers playing down the middle, but he's played a lot for Coventry down the left-hand side, so all in all, he fitted the bill of what we were looking for.

"We've been talking to Sam throughout the summer, and we've now been able to come to an agreement that suits both parties. He's a very committed player, as everybody knows, and he's got that wining mentality that I've been talking about recently. Given we only had two orthodox senior centre-halves at the club, it was vital we added another centre-back to the squad.

"He's played at a higher level, and also had a lot of success at this level, doing well for Leeds United at the end of last season. But they are also players who I believe will fit into what we are trying to build here, a close-knit group that is all working in the same direction."

The third new arrival in SE7 is winger Holden, who has joined Charlton initially on loan but with a view to a permanent deal.

"We've been watching Luke for Rhyl and we liked what we saw," said Parkinson, whose busy day on Tuesday included supervising training, the frantic transfer activity and then dashing off to watch Saturday's opponents, Brentford, take on Norwich City in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

"He came down to the club a few weeks ago and did very well in a reserve friendly against Crystal Palace, and I like his hunger and his determination to be a player. He's the sort of player I'm looking to bring to the club.

Leon McKenzie joined Charlton on a free transfer

"He's young, left footed and I think he's got a chance. We've got an option to make it a permanent deal in January, so he will be looking for an opportunity to impress, and if he gets that opportunity, it's up to him to go out and prove himself."

One feature of Charlton's record-breaking start to the campaign is that Parkinson has been able to field the same starting XI in all five games.

But another impressive statistic is that of those 11 players, only two - Therry Racon and Nicky Bailey - were brought into the club for a fee, with the rest of the team free signings or having risen from the youth ranks.

All of Parkinson's six summer recruits, including Christian Dailly, Miguel Llera and Frazer Richardson, were free signings, and since the manager took Charlton's reigns, midfielder Matt Spring is the only player for which the Addicks have parted with a [undisclosed] fee.

"We're tying to restructure the squad, and that's one of the reasons Yassin Moutaouakil was allowed out on loan," said Phil, who permitted the right-back to join Motherwell on loan until early January. "It's no secret he is one of our highest wage earners, and we're trying to find him a new club.

"I think he needs a new challenge and I think playing in Scotland gives him that opportunity, not only to play week in, week out, but also perhaps in the spotlight a bit more. I think his first match is live on Sky against Rangers, and it gives Yassin an opportunity to show what he can do.

"We've signed Frazer Richardson and we've got young Chris Solly as well, and we just felt that if we kept Yassin at the club it would baulk the progress of Chris."

Striker Stuart Fleetwood, meanwhile, has joined Exeter City for a second loan spell in a matter of months after helping the Grecians to promotion to League One at the end of last season.

However, under the terms of the deal, the forward cannot play in Exeter's two meetings with the Addicks this season.

"We've been talking to Exeter for a few weeks," said Parkinson. "We felt Stuart needed to play regularly at this level, and I couldn't guarantee him the opportunities to do that here. We've also got young Tamer Tuna coming through the ranks, and he's pushing hard for a place based on his recent performances, particularly in the reserves.

"We felt it was a good opportunity for Stuart to progress as a player, but we are able to recall him in January, should we need to, so we are still protecting our own interests to some degree. Who knows, he could come back in January and help us until the end of the season."