Francis makes it five
Right-back Simon Francis has become Charlton's fifth signing of the summer, the club announced on Friday.
The 25-year-old has joined from Southend United for an initial £35,000 fee and has put pen to paper on a two-year contract.
Addicks boss Phil Parkinson swooped to capture the defender, who was named the Shrimpers' player of the year last season, following the loss of Frazer Richardson to Southampton earlier this summer.
The deal could rise to £75,000 depending on the club's future success, and Parkinson was delighted to conclude the transfer.
"As soon as we lost Frazer, Simon was the right-back we wanted,” the manager told the official website.
"We've waited a long time to get this deal done. As always seems to be the case in life, sometimes you have to be patient to get the player you want.
"Obviously, he comes in a little bit behind in terms of fitness because he hasn't been playing at Southend for contractual reasons, but it's a terrific signing for the club."
Parkinson pounced for his man not long after the player turned down a move to Brentford following a reported £150,000 bid by the League One club.
"He's a young player who is only going to get better and we look forward to working with him,” added Phil.
Nottingham-born Francis missed just one League One game for the Shrimpers last season, and racked up 48 league and cup appearances. He netted one goal, in a 2-1 defeat at Brentford in late September.
The defender, who started his career as a trainee at Bradford City, played 176 times for the Essex side over four seasons, netting six goals in total.
It might have been seven but his curling free-kick crashed against the crossbar when Southend hosted Charlton at Roots Hall in late February.
Just days after playing for England U18s against France, Francis, who was spotted by Bradford youth coach Chris Downham playing for Nottingham College, made his senior debut in November 2002 as the Bantams lost 3-0 against Nottingham Forest at The City Ground.
He went on to play 26 times in his debut season, notching his first goal to seal a 2-1 Championship win against Crystal Palace at Valley Parade.
By 2004, after Francis had played 57 times, the cash-strapped Yorkshire outfit was forced to sell him for £200,000 by the club's administrator, and he moved to Sheffield United.
Francis played just 15 times in his 26-month spell as a Blade, spending time on loan at Grimsby Town and Tranmere Rovers.
He featured five times for the Mariners in the early part of 2005/06 and embarked on a three-month spell in the North West in November. Francis played 17 times for Rovers, netting in a 2-2 draw against Swansea City at Prenton Park.
His next move was a permanent switch to Southend for an undisclosed fee in summer 2006, and his Shrimpers debut came in a 1-0 Championship win against Stoke City.
A former teammate of ex-Addicks skipper Nicky Bailey, Francis played with fellow new Valley recruit Alan McCormack in his time on the Essex coast.
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