Ex-Sunderland duo released by Charlie Methven at Charlton Athletic in League One

Former Sunderland pair Kazenga LuaLua and Connor Wickham have been released by Charlton Athletic.

Ex-Black Cats co-owner Charlie Methven is part of the Global Football Partners (GFP) group that purchased Charlton Athletic last year. The ex-Madrox man now owns five per cent of the League One club and is heavily involved in the daily running but no longer has any involvement in Sunderland after being bought out in June 2022.

Connor Wickham signed a short-term deal Charlton Athletic under Methven back in March as The Addicks looked to bolster their forward line under Nathan Jones. The 31-year-old former Ipswich Town and Crystal Palace frontman scored once in four league appearances for the club and has now been released.

Wickham enjoyed a four-campaign stint at the Stadium of Light – with loans at Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday in between – following an £8m move from Ipswich Town back in 2011. The fee broke Ipswich Town's record for transfer fees recouped and broke the transfer record for a Football League player moving to a Premier League club at the time. The deal was seen as a coup for the North East club to sign Wickham, having beaten off interest from Liverpool to capture his signature.

The former England youth international found the net just 15 times in 91 appearances on Wearside before sealing a move to Palace on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee in 2015. Sources at the time reported the fee as a fee rising £9million, meaning around £17million in transfer fees has been spent on Wickham throughout his career.

Wickham was joined on Charlton Athletic’s released list by another former Sunderland player, LuaLua. The 33-year-old former Black Cats and Newcastle United winger also joined Charlton in March and like Wickham, made just four appearances for The Addicks before being released.

LuaLua signed for Sunderland midway through the 2017 -2018 after the winger’s Brighton contract had been terminated. However, LuaLua was released by Sunderland at the end of the campaign after the club were relegated to League One under Chris Coleman. Lua Lua made just six appearances for Sunderland.