Charlton Athletic sign Luke Berry from Luton and see Terell Thomas depart for Carlisle United

Charlton Athletic have signed experienced midfielder Luke Berry following the expiration of his contract at Luton Town. Concurrently, defender Terell Thomas has departed the Addicks, joining Carlisle United on a two-year deal.

Berry, 31, joins Charlton on a two-year contract with an option for an additional year. The midfielder, who has been promoted from all three EFL divisions, recently scored twice in 17 Premier League appearances for Luton, making him one of the few players to score in each of England’s top-five leagues.

“Nathan [Jones] told me how great the club is. When I finished up at Luton, I rang him straight away and wanted to get it going,” Berry said. “This Charlton team is a really good team. We just need to believe in ourselves, put in the hard work and I can see us doing something special.”

Manager Nathan Jones expressed his delight at reuniting with Berry, saying, “Luke’s someone that I signed for Luton in 2017. He’s one of the best goalscoring midfielders outside of the Premier League in recent years. We’ve fought off a lot of competition to get him and I’m just pleased that our club and my relationship with him has enabled us to get the signing over the line.”

Technical Director Andy Scott added, “As part of this summer’s recruitment strategy we want to add quality, experience and a winning mentality to the young talent we have in our squad. We’re delighted to sign Luke, a player who ticks all those boxes and who has an excellent track record working under Nathan.”

Meanwhile, Terell Thomas, who started his career at Arsenal and later played for clubs including Wigan Athletic, AFC Wimbledon, Crewe Alexandra, and Reading, has left Charlton to join Carlisle United.

Thomas, 28, made 40 League One appearances for the Addicks last season and has featured 12 times internationally for Saint Lucia.

Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson welcomed Thomas to the club, stating, “I’m delighted to get Terell into the club. We’ve been working on this for a number of weeks. He’s got good experience of playing in English football, he’s a full international, and he’s just come back from competing in a couple of games for Saint Lucia where he captained the team, so he’s got leadership qualities. I’m really looking forward to seeing him working with us.”