MANDELA Egbo has signed a two-year contract at Charlton Athletic after rejecting the offer of a new deal at Swindon Town.
The Addicks say there is an option of a third year, held by the club, and that they are "delighted" to confirm their second addition of Ben Garner's reign.
Egbo trained with Swindon for a couple of months last season before signing a deal until the end of the season in a bid to help Garner's men achieve promotion to League One.
Egbo assisted three times in six games as Town surged towards the top seven and eventually booked a spot in the play-offs courtesy of five wins from the club's final six games.
The 24-year-old later scored in the play-off semi-final shoot-out against Port Vale before being allegedly subjected to physical abuse from Vale fans as he tried to exit the pitch.
An impressive stint in Wiltshire caused the Town hierarchy to offer Egbo an extended stay, but the attacking full-back has opted to follow Garner to The Valley instead.
Speaking to Charlton's own media team once the deal was confirmed, Egbo said: "Being in the building and looking around the stadium, you just see the stature of the club so I’m over the moon. I can’t wait to get going on the pitch.
“It feels good to know that your ambitions lie in the same place as the club’s. We’re all looking to go forward and there’s no looking back now. It’s fresh, it’s revitalised, it’s new and hopefully we can all hit the ground running and just go in that one direction, which is forwards and upwards.”
A part of the England U17 team that won the 2014 UEFA European U17 Championship, Egbo can also count Borussia Monchengladbach II and New York Red Bulls among his former clubs.
Prior to that, the 24-year-old worked with Garner in Crystal Palace's academy.
Discussing why Garner was keen to bring his former player with him to London, the Addicks boss said: “I’ve known Mandela since he was 11 years old from academy football. He came and played for me at Swindon at the end of last season and did really well.
"He’s experienced for his age and he’s got the attributes that we want in that position.
"He’s a fantastic character with a great personality, very driven, a great athlete and a really talented footballer.”
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