Former Charlton Athletic defender joins Crawley Town for undisclosed fee

Barker has signed a three-year contract with the Red Devils.

The 21-year-old began his career with Charlton Athletic, where he impressed in the Addicks’ youth system and earned himself a handful of senior appearances at the age of 17. The centre-back made three appearances in League One and scored his first goal in senior football during a Carabao Cup match against Swindon.

After a series of loan spells, Barker joined Wealdstone on a permanent deal at the start of the 2023/24 season. Charlie made 43 league appearances for the Stones last season, scoring on two occasions.

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The Broadfield Stadium is a familiar setting for Charlie and his family. His dad Richie managed the Red Devils for over a year between 2012 and 2013, and his then-younger son Charlie would be a frequent visitor to West Sussex to cheer on his dad and the team.

After putting pen to paper on his three-year deal, Barker said: “I am really happy to get the deal done, it has been spoken about for a couple of weeks now, so it is a great feeling to get it over the line. My agent had some calls from a few clubs but as soon as I heard Crawley were interested I was excited and knew that I wanted to come here.

"The club did unbelievably well last season, and I have a few connections with some of the boys here, who only had positive things to say.”