Nathan Jones says Charlton are ready to take the next step in their development as his side look to build on another season of progress.
The men's first team secured the club's highest league finish in more than a decade last season and, earlier this week, added Ivan Mesik and Billy Koumetio as the Addicks continue to build in a sustainable way.
Charlton return to action on Friday with a trip to Dartford, live on CharltonTV, and Jones believes the pre-season curtain-raiser will be an important part of the team's development.
Sitting down for an interview with CharltonTV's Charlotte Richardson, he said: “We want to win every single game. But it's about the evolution process now, we'll be slightly different this pre-season than we were last year because we have to evolve.
“We want to evolve into a different kind of Championship side without losing the core principles that have made us as successful as we have been.”
The Addicks have progressed in every season under Jones, and the manager is focused on ensuring that trend continues.
He explained: “We have to keep the club moving forward. Realistically we’ll have a better squad, with the greatest respect to everyone, from the Watford game last year to the Derby game this year - we’ll have a better squad. We’ll be in a better place squad wise.
“The league is stronger. Let’s not underestimate the fact of who's come down, who remained in the league, it’s added considerable strength but that's the challenge, so we want to keep moving forward.”
That desire to evolve is also shaping Charlton's approach in the transfer market this summer.
Jones explained how the club's recruitment strategy differs from last year following promotion to the Championship.
“We have to improve the squad significantly. It's not big numbers this time, it's probably anything from five to seven depending on how things progress. But they have to provide something different or better than what we have.
“We've had a good start in terms of Ivan Mesík. With Josh Edwards we have two in that area that can be relentless and give you real versatility.
“We brought in Billy Koumetio because he is similar to Amari’i Bell in terms of athleticism. He's not as good at some things, but he has other attributes; for example, he's 6'5", so he adds size and strength.
“And then we have to add quality in the final third because we want to score more goals.
“We want to create more goals and we want to create different goals and different chances, but we understand that we're going to have to be patient on that.
“That's why this window is probably slightly slower than last year. There's not signing after signing after signing, but that's because we have to get quality this window and not just quantity.”
Reflecting on the club's progress since his arrival, Jones also highlighted the strides made on and off the pitch.
“I think to establish yourself as a Championship club again, I think that was a big achievement, even though I always look for more.
“I set targets for the football club and did so when I came in that I felt were achievable if we were able to have incremental investment. And they [the ownership] have done that. They've backed us. What we've had to do is try and take the football club forward as well.
“We wanted to unite the fans and get the fans on board. We think we've done that. It's showed in the numbers at The Valley, the season ticket sales, how the fans are, the patience they gave me and the team when we were going through tough times.
“It's an ongoing thing, but I think we've built something good here, a rapport.”
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