NICKY Bailey may prove to be the answer to Charlton's midfield problems according to Addicks boss Alan Pardew.

The recent capture from Southend enjoyed a Valley debut to remember on Saturday, pulling all the strings in the centre as Charlton overpowered Reading to claim a memorable 4-2 victory.

Financial circumstances in SE7 have forced the Valley chief to invest his tiny spending pot extremely shrewdly and at £400,000, Bailey may turn out to be the bargain of the season judging by Saturday's display.

Pardew was full of praise for the new boy afterwards and believes the 24-year-old could give the Addicks a major weapon in their promotion armour.

The manager explained: "He has got two really strong feet in terms of passing.

"A lot of players are restricted because they only feel comfortable with one foot in the central area and that is why he switched the play really well against Reading because his left and right feet are both as strong.

"He is technically as good a player as I have worked with.

"There are other sides to his game which could improve and will improve, but so far I'm very pleased with him and he is keeping out some very good players at the minute.

"I always felt we lacked a tackler in there last year and he certainly put a few of those in and threw his body in the way of shots."

Pards added: "We looked long and hard for somebody like him and we've taken a chance.

"Hopefully if he plays like that for the rest of the season, we will be absolutely delighted.

"He is a scrapper who picks up the bits and uses the ball well. It is no good bringing somebody in here who is a thug or the type of player who is just going to win the ball and not be able to pass it.

"That is not the Charlton way and it isn't my way. You need to be able to do all of that and pass it at Charlton and he did it well in the same way Mark Kinsella did it well here.

"I don't know all of what he has got yet because I've only seen a little bit of it, but what I've seen so far I really like.

"It will push Jonjo Shelvey on as well because he perhaps deserved to play based on his training last week."

If Bailey's performance was impressive in the centre of midfield, then the display of Hameur Bouazza on the left was equally remarkable and Pards will have his fingers crossed both can maintain Saturday's high standards throughout the campaign.

He said: "I always had a bit of an issue with the balance of the side last year. Even with Reidy here, we never really had anyone going down the outside on the left.

"If you don't have that, then I think the opposition can stifle you.

"But it is very difficult for the opposition to stifle you when you can go down both flanks on the outside on the left and right and with full backs running up the inside. It becomes a problem for them."

He added: "For the first time here, we have that kind of even balance.

"If we can keep them fit and play at that level, then we are going to be difficult to defend against.

"I don't really want to get too carried away with what I've seen today because Preston will answer a lot more questions."

Pardew will also be hoping Luke Varney, who broke his duck for the campaign with Charlton's third on Saturday, can take heart from his goal and go on a scoring spree.

Varney struggled during his first year in the Championship after stepping up from League One following his arrival from Crewe last summer.

Despite this, the manager has stuck with him and even compared his forward to another striker he once managed, Bobby Zamora at West Ham.

Pardew said: "Luke is a person who, once he believes in himself, is so much stronger.

"We've focussed on him in training and a lot of the team is based around him.

"His work rate and effort has never diminished and is always the same.

"It is as good as you will find in any league, but sometimes he just lacks belief in what he can achieve.

"He showed today he can take people on and curl shots in the top corner, so it is just that belief we are trying to ingrain."

The manager added: "The goal will go a long way and is important to him because he has had two or three big chances in the first three games.

"Bobby Zamora was a little bit like that where he had little bouts of goals and then a period of not scoring, but when Bobby got in a little vein he was unplayable and Varney is a bit like that.

"When you come up the levels, you do sometimes question whether it is the right place for you, but Nicky Bailey doesn't seem to be bothered with that."

Pardew confirmed on Saturday Portsmouth's Linvoy Primus would be linking-up with his former club later this week in a one-year loan deal, although the defender isn't expected to be available for this weekend's trip to Preston.

He revealed: "I don't think he will be fit to be honest. He is going to train for a couple of days with Portsmouth and I'm bringing him in on Wednesday to look where he is and give him a reserve game the week after.

"Todorov is coming back and looking better, so hopefully if we can get a great result at Preston, we are going to look a lot stronger coming to the Wolves game."