Former Derby County youngster Timi Elsnik has bagged a trial with League One side Bolton Wanderers, as reported by the Bolton News.
Following a loan spell with Mansfield Town, Rams fans wanted him in their first team, but a subsequent loans spell with Northampton was not a success and he left Derby in the summer.
The technical midfielder has represented Slovenia up to Under 21 level and has also had a stint with Swindon Town, where he impressed.
Bolton are looking at a number of free agents to bolster their squad as they attempt to pull away from the foot of the division. Elsnik, who impressed during his time at Field Mill, fell foul of David Flitcroft signing loan players in January. They could only play five at a time and brought in Jorge Grant and Nicky Ajose, meaning Elsnik lost his place.
The 21-year-old played last night for a Wanderers XI who faced off against Crewe, suffering a 4-1 d at the University of Bolton Stadium last night. It was a game which also saw two Trotters players returning from injury; Connor Hall and Josh Earl.
Our View
We saw Elsnik first hand at Mansfield last season and on his day, he bossed League Two. He was a little inconsistent but we’re talking about a young foreign player in a loan spell with an unfamiliar club; he was always going to have the odd bad game.
Mansfield suffered from being able to buy too much last season and had Elsnhik remained with them he would likely have been better than Jorge Grant, who failed to impress.
It was a surprise to see him released in the summer, but there’s little doubt he has plenty to offer. he’d be a solid capture for Bolton at the level they’re competing in, especially alongside the likes of Liam Bridcutt, an experienced player who would allow Elsnik some freedom to roam forward.
