Bolton Wanderers may be looking at Barnsley player with frustration: View | OneFootball

Former Scottish EFL defender Neill Collins is doing a great job in his first managerial job in England, having made the move to Barnsley in the summer of 2023.

After spending five years managing the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United States, he made the move to Oakwell as the Tykes' successor for Michael Duff, who departed for Swansea City.

The Tykes are currently sitting in fourth position in League One and are just three points off of Bolton Wanderers in second, and two points behind Derby County following a 2-2 draw with the Trotters on Tuesday evening.

They are looking to go one better this campaign and achieve promotion to the Championship, having lost in the play-off final to Sheffield Wednesday in agonising fashion last year, conceding in the last minute of extra time at Wembley having been reduced to 10 men in normal time.

One player who has been a key player for Barnsley this season is midfielder Luca Connell, who is proving to be one of - if not the best - midfielders in the third tier of English football, but his career could've been a lot different having started out at their promotion rivals in the form of Bolton.

Luca Connell struggled at Celtic after promising Bolton Wanderers stint

Connell initially came through at his boyhood club Bolton, having been at the Trotters since the age of nine.

He made his competitive debut for the club as a 17-year-old in January 2019, and the Irishman would go on to make 10 Championship appearances for the remainder of the campaign - he could not however help Bolton avoid relegation to League One.

Connell's performances attracted interest aplenty, and it was Scottish giants Celtic who signed Connell for a reported fee of £350,000 as he headed to Parkhead on a four-year deal.

After spending his first season-and-a-half north of the border with Celtic’s reserves, Connell would then spend the last few months of the 2020-21 season on loan at Queen’s Park - then in the Scottish League Two.

He contributed three goals and four assists in 11 appearances as the Spiders’ won the league and impressed so much that he returned on loan again the following season in the third tier of Scottish football, where he would score a further seven goals in 27 games as yet another promotion was secured - this time to the Scottish Championship.

Despite his good form at a lower level though, Connell would be released a year early from his contract at Celtic Park, having failed to make a senior appearance for the club.

Bolton Wanderers will now be envious of Luca Connell's Barnsley performances

Connell then made the move to current club Barnsley in 2022, signing a three-year-deal, and in his first season he would help the Tykes reach the play-off final of League One, but they would ultimately fall short.

The left-footed midfielder excelled and did a lot better than most may have thought, given the jump up in quality from the Scottish League One compared to the third tier of English football.

He would score two goals and assist nine times in 42 games (including the play-offs), being an instrumental part of Barnsley’s midfield.

Despite the change of manager from Duff to Collins, Connell is still the lynchpin of Barnsley's engine room when fit and available to play - he missed the first few months of the season through injury but has since returned and been better than ever.

There has been a clear change in role for the 22-year-old in the midfield as he has been utilised in a deeper role, and staying back more - shown by the fact he has not contributed to a goal so far this season.

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With Connell starring at a rival, Bolton will be looking on with envy at what could have been.

At the time, Bolton simply had to let Connell go as they were in administration and needed all the funds they could get, but they would also have been hopeful that he would have amounted to something greater at Celtic in case there were any add-ons in the deal.

Connell never made the expected breakthrough at Celtic though, having not been fancied by Neil Lennon and Ange Postecoglou, but he's well and truly found his feet back in English football.

You would think at the age of 22, Connell will go on to play Championship football once more, whether that is with or without Barnsley, and he would be able to command a fee of seven figures for his services regardless.

Ultimately, Bolton were powerless at the time to stop Connell from leaving, but they will feel a sense of jealousy and envy at how well the Republic of Ireland youth international is playing right now - they'll feel even worse if Barnsley pip them to promotion as well.