Charlton Athletic have hit the jackpot with Championship transfer - His Addicks numbers are superb | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic signed Alex Gilbert on loan from Middlesbrough in February.

Charlton Athletic midfielder Alex Gilbert has made an excellent start to life at The Valley.

The 23-year-old joined the Addicks on loan from Championship side Middlesbrough on deadline day at the end of the January transfer window, and he has had a big impact on the South Londoners' promotion push during his time in SE7 so far.

Gilbert scored once in seven Championship appearances for Boro during the first half of the season, and Michael Carrick made it clear how much he rated the midfielder in an interview before the January transfer window opened, as per TeessideLive.

"He had a good impact at the start of the season when he played some games and came off the bench," Carrick said.

"He looked really promising. He's definitely moving in the right direction."

Carrick initially stated that Gilbert would be given opportunities if he stayed at the Riverside Stadium, but following the arrival of Morgan Whittaker from Plymouth Argyle, he was allowed to leave on loan, which has already proven to be beneficial for Charlton.

Gilbert has impressed at Charlton so far

Gilbert has only been handed one start by Nathan Jones so far during his Charlton career, but he has made the most of the opportunities that he has had from the bench.

He made his debut for the Addicks as a late substitute during their 2-0 win over Stevenage last month, before he was brought on in the latter stages once more against Peterborough United a few days later.

In injury time against the Posh, his corner found Macaulay Gillesphey, who picked out the bottom corner with a header to secure a late victory for the hosts.

Following two further cameo appearances against Birmingham City and Exeter City, Gilbert was brought on while Charlton were 1-0 down away at Leyton Orient earlier this month.

He once again showed how dangerous his deliveries can be with two near-identical inswinging corners in injury time, which were both converted at the back post to complete an unlikely late comeback for the visitors.

The on-loan Boro man made his first start for Charlton away at Crawley Town last week, and he assisted the third winning goal of his Addicks career by helping a cross into the path of Thierry Small, who beat his man and fired a shot in at the near post.

Charlton have won five of the six games that Gilbert has featured in this season, and the midfielder has provided four assists, so it would be fair to say that the Addicks hit the jackpot by signing him in February.

Gilbert's numbers are astonishing

Gilbert's numbers are astonishing compared to other attacking midfielders in League One.

He has provided four assists in just 152 minutes of football, working out at 2.37 per 90 minutes, which, unsurprisingly, puts him in the top percentile for players in his position, as per FotMob.

He has created an average of 2.96 chances per 90, put in an average of 2.37 successful crosses per 90, and has not been dispossessed once so far in a Charlton shirt, meaning that he also ranks in the top percentile of attacking midfielders in League One for those metrics.

His xG of 0.55 per 90 suggests that he should have got off the mark already for his new club, but it also bodes well for the remainder of the season as he has found himself in the right positions to score.

Jones will no doubt also be content with his work out of possession, as he is in the top 15% of players in his position for both recoveries and interceptions, and it will be vital that he continues to work hard off the ball if he is going to force his way into the starting lineup on a regular basis under the Welshman.

It appears that Charlton struck gold with the signing of Gilbert on loan from Middlesbrough, and if he continues to provide assists at the rate that he currently is, it will do the Addicks' chances of winning promotion no harm whatsoever.