PLAYER PROFILE

Paul Konchesky

Position: Defence

Height: 5'10

Weight: 10st 5lbs

Date of Birth: 1981-05-15 Barking, England

Paul Konchesky

A left-sided defender, Paul Konchesky holds the honour of being the youngest player ever to make a Charlton Athletic first-team appearance when playing against Oxford United during the 1997/98 season when only 16 years 93 days old.

In 2001/02, Konchesky made 41 appearances, scoring 2 goals for Charlton. He also made his England Under 21s debut in February 2002.

He started the 2002/03 season in explosive form, scoring against Chelsea before being controversially sent off. He then struggled to hold down a regular place in the Addicks team, despite some impressive performances, and grew frustrated with not being allowed to play left-back.

In the summer of 2003, he handed in a transfer request, saying that he needed to get regular first team football in his favoured position to help him push his way into the England squad.

Then on the final day of the summer transfer window, September 1 2003, he moved to Tottenham on an initial one-month loan deal, with Spurs defender Chris Perry moving to the Valley for a month. Both players were keen to make the move more permanent, but the managerial situation at Spurs and the closed transfer window make that a difficult possibility.

Perry's deal was made permanent after a few months, leaving Konchesky hoping that his could be too, though he had to make do with the loan being further extended in December 2003. However he was recalled just before Christmas as Charlton's injury problems meant Alan Curbishley needed him as cover.

He featured in almost every single one of the Addicks' remaining games of the season, and despite being linked with a move away from The Valley, Alan Curbishley wanted to hang on to the defender, take him off the transfer list and offer him a new deal.

However, it was not until February 2005 that he was finally taken off the list. His 2004/05 season saw him play 31 games and score once, in Charlton's 4-0 victory against Norwich at The Valley.

Despite all that, in July 2005, he left the Addicks to join newly-promoted West Ham United on a long-term deal.

His first season at Upton Park proved to be a mixed one as, despite playing forty-five games and scoring twice, he missed one of the penalties in the FA Cup final shoot-out against Liverpool.

He was once more an important figure in 2006/07, but Curbishley allowed him to leave the Hammers in July 2007 to join Fulham for £3.25m