Ex-Hatters head scout links up with former Luton boss Nathan Jones at Charlton

Former Luton head of scouting operations Phil Chapple has been appointed as the new head of recruitment at League One side Charlton Athletic.

The 58-year-old recently left Kenilworth Road having spent four years in Bedfordshire, as he now returns to a team where he spent five years as a player a between 1993 and 1998, making over 150 appearances for the Addicks as a defender. Since retiring, Chapple had spells with Peterborough United as youth team coach, scout and head coach before leaving in September 2003 to take up roles with West Ham United and Newmarket Town.

He was then back at the Valley as chief scout in 2007, temporarily joining the first team coaching set-up after Phil Parkinson was appointed as manager, then resuming his original role in July 2009, helping to build Charlton’s record-breaking, League One title-winning 2011-12 team under Chris Powell. Chapple stayed in south east London for five move years, before stints with Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Stoke City, ahead of switch to Luton under former boss Nathan Jones.

He will now link up with Jones once more, who is in charge of the Addicks and one game away from leading the club to the Championship as they face Leyton Orient in the play-off final at Wembley next week. Jones himself told the club’s official website: “I first worked with Phil at Charlton 13 years ago, and he taught me a lot about recruiting players and how to look for certain attributes. He was someone that had a big influence on me as a recruiter. I've worked with Phil at pretty much every club that I've been at - we took him to Stoke and brought him to Luton.

"Everywhere we've been he's done fantastic work and we've always felt that we've been at the cutting edge of good recruitment. To do that you need good people around you that have a good eye and know what they're looking as well as what we're looking for. We're very aligned so we're delighted to have him. Once we knew he became available then we made every effort to get him. It's not just what he does for us, but he knows this football club too. He adds continuity and he knows a lot of people. It can prove a seamless transition."