Oxford United will be counting down the days until they get their Championship campaign underway.

The Us unexpectedly sealed promotion to the Championship at the end of last season, as they got past Peterborough United and Bolton Wanderers in their play-off campaign.

The Yellows will be everyone’s favourite to go down next season, but Des Buckingham will be keen for his side to define the odds once again and put up a strong fight to maintain their second-tier stay.

It will be expected that Oxford will be looking to strengthen in significant areas this summer, as they will want to turn their League One squad into one that is capable of performing well in the Championship.

Goals are an important thing in any league, and Buckingham will want to make sure he has enough firepower to last the season.

Therefore, it is no surprise to see the club looking at forwards, with their search taking them to Coventry City’s Matt Godden.

Oxford United and Charlton Athletic are keen on Matt Godden

According to journalist Alan Nixon via Patreon, Oxford United and Charlton Athletic are interested in signing Coventry City’s Matt Godden.

The report states that Godden is likely going to lose his place in Mark Robins’ squad for this season, and the player himself is keen on first-team football.

Nixon goes on to add that the Sky Blues will sell the forward to the highest bidder this week, and while Oxford are in the second tier, Charlton have cash and ambition, and they may be able to outbid the Us.

Godden has been with Coventry since August 2019, after he joined the club from Peterborough United.

The 32-year-old has only one year remaining on his current deal with the Sky Blues, so an exit looks on the cards this summer.

Oxford United need to make sure they use every advantage they may have in the race to sign the forward.

Oxford United must beat Charlton in the Matt Godden race

Oxford United will need to strengthen their team over the coming months, as they will know that they need to add more quality if they are going to have a chance of staying in the league.

But as well as adding quality to the team, it would also be good for them to add Championship experience.

That is exactly what Matt Godden would bring to Oxford; he would be someone of great quality, as he’s shown how good he can be in the Championship, but he is also a player who has enormous experience in the English Football League.

Since joining Coventry, Godden has scored 50 goals in 156 games for the club; six of those goals came last season in the Championship.

In the 2023/24 season, Godden played 35 times for the Sky Blues, but he was mainly a squad player for the club, as he started just 23 of those games and averaged 59 minutes per game.

Godden still showed his eye for goal hasn’t disappeared, as he netted six times from his 1.6 shots per game. The forward could have had a considerably greater number of goals, as he missed 13 big chances throughout the campaign.

The 32-year-old was unable to record any assists last season, but that wasn’t without him trying, as he created four big chances for his teammates as well as 0.5 key passes, as per Sofascore.com.

The stats show that Godden is still operating at a decent level, so he would be a very good addition for either of these interested teams, but Oxford United need to be doing all they can to beat the Addicks.

Godden has played over 100 games in the Championship, and he has so far netted 32 goals to his name, and while he is 32, his addition would be a very wise move from Des Buckingham.

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Charlton Athletic and Oxford United set to battle for Coventry City player

Coventry City striker Matt Godden is set to be the subject of a bidding war this week.

Godden would bring much-needed experience and know-how of the league, as well as that bit of quality at the top end of the pitch.

He is the type of personality that the other forwards at the club can learn from and lean on when things may be going wrong. He isn’t a long-term signing, but he would be a very good short-term addition for a team like Oxford United, who will be trying to adapt to the Championship.