CHARLTON completed the signing of Manchester City left-back Ben Thatcher in a £500,000 deal on Thursday night.

The 31-year-old signed an 18-month contract during a busy day of transfer activity at The Valley which also saw Djimi Traore join Portsmouth for £1million.

Pardew was delighted to capture the former Wales international and will put him straight into the side to face Middlesbrough at The Valley on Saturday.

He said: "We need to be creative in the transfer market and I think what Ben brings is strength of character and a determination to get us out of trouble, and that's what we need now.

"The real key to Ben's transfer is the fact that he feels he can save us and keep us in the Premiership - and it's very, very important to have that belief.

"That belief will hopefully spread to the others. You can never underestimate what you can achieve if you believe."

Thatcher said he was looking forward to the challenge of helping to keep Charlton in the Premiership this season.

"It's a fresh start for me and I'm looking forward to working with Alan Pardew, who I've always respected as a manager," he said.

"We've got a massive game against Middlesbrough on Saturday and I hope that I can play my part and help the team to a big three points."

Meanwhile, Traore has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Pompey to bring an end a short spell with the Addicks. The 26-year-old defender only joined Charlton from Liverpool for £2million in early August.

He endured a disappointing start to his Charlton career when he was sent off on his debut against West Ham on the opening day of the season.

Following his suspension, he sustained a fractured leg against Chelsea that ruled him out for more than two months.