Bolton Wanderers head coach Steven Schumacher has hinted that the club’s summer transfer activity may not be over as they gear up for the start of the new League One season.
The 41-year-old arrived at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in January, replacing long-serving boss Ian Evatt. He almost immediately sparked an upturn in form and looked on course to guide the club into the play-offs. However, they faded towards the end of the campaign to eventually finish eighth.
In a bid to keep up with the likes of Luton Town and Huddersfield Town, who are expected to challenge for the League One title, Bolton have brought in 10 new faces so far. This includes the £750,000 acquisition of the highly rated Ethan Erhahon from Lincoln City, whilst six figure fees have also been shelled out for winger Thierry Gale and midfielder Xavier Simons.
“There’s Room For Us To Do A Little More”
The Trotters kick off their campaign tomorrow when they take on fellow promotion hopefuls Stockport County. Speaking to official club media ahead of the game, Schumacher revealed that there could be more arrivals before the transfer window closes on September 1st:
“We still think there’s room for us to do a little bit more business if we can, but we’re happy enough with the squad that we’ve got. We’ve got players in decent form, and we’ve got competition for places in all areas — so from that point of view, it’s been good.”
The head coach also issued a positive injury update on new signing Charlie Warren, who joined the club from eighth tier Felixstowe and Walton United in June:
“No new injuries from last week. We’ve got Charlie Warren back in contention — he’s trained this week after his wrist injury against Barrow. We’re a little bit stronger from that point of view.
“And obviously we signed Mason (Burstow) and Ethan (Erhahon) this week, so they’ll be ready to contribute as well.”
Writer’s View
Bolton have enjoyed an excellent summer in the transfer market and will feel they have brought in the right players to launch an assault on promotion. They know that this is a critical season in terms of their ambitions and a return to the Championship after a six year absence is the minimum requirement. League One has always been a tough division, but Birmingham City took it to another notch last season. Huddersfield and Luton are following suit this year, meaning that the Trotters have had to spend to compete. Expect more cash to be splurged over the next month.
