Despite finishing fourth in the third division, the Terriers have had trouble getting goals from their forwards in the 2024–25 campaign, with players like Freddie Ladapo and Bojan Radulovic not producing.
Callum Marshall, a loanee from West Ham, and midfielder Ben Wiles are tied for the league’s top six goals, but Michael Duff’s team needs a new striker to propel them back into the Championship, especially after Danny Ward was sidelined for the remainder of the season.
According to sources who spoke to FLW, Huddersfield is now trying to address their problems at the top end of the field by pursuing Charles.
After an unsuccessful attempt at Fleetwood Town, the 29-year-old played in non-league football for teams like AFC Fylde and Southport. He made his Football League debut in 2019 when he signed with Accrington Stanley, and since being traded to Bolton in January 2022, he has advanced significantly.
After leading the Trotters in scoring for the previous two seasons and earning 28 caps for the Northern Ireland national team, Charles has struggled to find playing time under Ian Evatt in 2024–25.
Despite starting 15 of Bolton’s 23 League One matches this season, Charles has featured from the first minutes just twice in their last seven league fixtures, with the pairing of John McAtee and Aaron Collins preferred instead.
Even though minutes have been limited in recent weeks, Charles remains Bolton’s top league goalscorer for the current campaign with seven, which is one ahead of the aforementioned Collins.
A potential move for Charles to the John Smith’s Stadium could fund a number of new signings for Evatt though, including Peterborough United playmaker Joel Randall, who FLW exclusively revealed last week was a target once more for the Lancashire outfit after a failed summer pursuit.
Huddersfield’s struggles at the top end of the pitch are well-documented, and their need for a new striker is evident.
Despite the fact that he will be 30 later this year, Charles could be the perfect fit for Michael Duff at Town, at a time where the Preston-born forward could do with rejuvinating his own career after falling out of favour with Ian Evatt.
Time will tell if the two clubs can get a deal sorted, but you have to wonder if a sale to a promotion rival like Huddersfield could be detrimental to Bolton’s own top six push, given he could start firing once again on the other side of the Pennines if he makes the move.
