George Lapslie joins Mansfield Town on loan
Charlton Athletic midfielder George Lapslie has signed for League Two side Mansfield Town on a season-long loan.
The 23-year-old has been at the Addicks since the age of ten and made his professional debut in 2017 in an EFL Trophy tie against Crawley Town.
He has made 54 appearances for the London side, scoring three goals; the first coming on his debut in a 2-0 win, the second in Charlton’s highest ever victory – beating Stevenage 8-0 – again in the EFL Trophy and the third against Luton Town in a 3-1 win in the Championship last season.
Manager Lee Bowyer explained that the loan will allow Lapslie to get regular first team minutes and develop as a player. He said: “I think it is time for George to go and fly and develop his career further. He came to see me and Steve [Gallen] a few weeks ago and he was the one that put it to us and we both agreed that now is the time for him to go and develop and progress in his own career and this is a stepping stone towards that.”
With the amount of midfield players already at the club, including the likes of Darren Pratley, Ben Watson, Jonny Williams, Marcus Maddison, Alex Gilbey and Dylan Levitt and with Bowyer looking to add another one to the squad before the 5pm deadline on Friday, one could’ve predicted that one midfielder was bound to depart.
The Charlton boss emphasized how this loan will allow him to add to his side in the final day of the transfer window: “Because the cap is so tight, the loan frees up a little bit that we can maybe use the money for elsewhere, so that is what we are looking to do.”
