Charlton open their Championship campaign at home to newly-promoted Swansea on Saturday without any fresh signings - but with the prospect of two to come.Manager Alan Pardew hinted that the club's directors had loosened the purse strings at the latest board meeting where he described the mood as positive.
Pardew, who raised a substantial amount with the multi-million pound sales of high earners Marcus Bent, Chris Iwelumo and Madjid Bougherra while slashing the wage bill, has received the green light to return to the market.
He said: "We had a positive board meeting on Tuesday and I heard the sort of things I want to hear - so we're in the process of looking at a couple of players.
"Maybe something will drop next week when I believe there will be a lot of movement ahead of the start of the Premier League season."
Charlton have been strongly linked with Reading's former Margate central defender Sam Sodje, who made 27 appearances for the Addicks on loan last season.
"He is someone who is certainly on our radar," was all Pardew would say.
Meanwhile, the manager confirmed that newcomer Mark Hudson would skipper the side this season, replacing Player-of-the-Year Matt Holland.
Hudson - who joined the club on a free from Crystal Palace in the summer - is expected to make his league debut against Swansea, though he is troubled by an ankle injury that forced him off in the friendly against Athletic Bilbao.
"It's 60-40 in favour of him being fit," said Pardew. "He's going to be a very important player for us this season.
"Everybody is available apart from Darren Ambrose, Svetoslav Todorov and Izale McLeod who all underwent surgery in the summer. It's a young team and we're about to see how good they are."
