West Ham midfielder Josh Cullen has admitted that he can’t see his long-term future being at Charlton, the club the 23-year-old is currently spending his second season at on-loan.
Speaking to London News Online about his time with the Championship side, the Irish international confessed that he couldn’t see himself remaining with the Addicks beyond this season despite rising to new heights with the London-based club over the past 12 months.
Cullen has been a vital part of Lee Bowyer’s Charlton side since the start of the 2018/19 season, with the deep-lying playmaker being an essential clog and an ever-present figure in the starting XI as stats from Transfermarkt show, with the West Ham academy product making 44 appearances in all competitions for the club so far.
When asked about if he would join Charlton on a permanent transfer, Cullen said: “I don’t know. I can’t see my future there because I’m still on loan and I’m contracted to West Ham but football’s a strange game and you never know what’s going to happen. The plan has always been to get to the West Ham first team but things happen in football. Who knows?”
With News Hopper reporting earlier this week that Cullen could return to West Ham as early as this January with the Irish international impressing Manuel Pellegrini this season with Charlton in the Championship, it perhaps comes as no surprise that the midfielder is not looking at the long-term future with the Addicks.
With Mark Noble entering the twilight years of his career and other Irons midfielder Carlos Sanchez seemingly set to depart the club within the next few months, Cullen will have the belief that he can return to West Ham and make a claim for himself to be involved in the first-team, and given the success story of fellow academy product Declan Rice, the 23-year-old could be yet another youngster Pellegrini puts his faith into.
