Former Peterborough United captain to manage Charlton Athletic and his first game in charge will be against Posh!

Dean Holden when Bristol City manager. Photo: Jan Kruger Getty Images.

Charlton Athletic are expected to name former Peterborough United player Dean Holden as their new head coach on Tuesday, according to the South London Press.

Holden has been a frontrunner for the job since the League One side sacked Ben Garner from the manager role earlier this month.

Holden’s first game in charge will be against Posh at the Valley on Boxing Day. Caretaker boss Anthony Hayes is expected to take charge of an EFL Cup tie against Brighton on Wednesday.

Defender Holden played 67 times for Posh between 2005 and 2007, scoring four goals. He was club captain for a time.

Holden (43) has previously managed at Oldham Athletic and Bristol City. He also had one match in caretaker charge of Stoke City earlier this season after acting as Michael O’Neill’s assistant for 16 months.

Holden was also number two to Lee Johnson at Bristol City from November 2016 until taking on the head coach role full-time in August 2020. He had a win percentage of 43.9 but was dismissed in February 2021 after the Championship side lost six successive matches.

None of the managers appointed by Charlron owner Thomas Sandgaard have lasted more than seven months in the role.

Former Posh boss Darren Ferguson was linked with the Charlton job. He has also been linked with a move to MK Dons, but they are still some way off appointing their new man, according to sources close to the club.

Posh host MK on Thursday, December 28.