The 9 Bolton Wanderers players set to become free agents next year | OneFootball

FLW outline the nine Bolton Wanderers who are out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 season.

Like all clubs, Bolton Wanderers have issues to overcome in terms of the future of their squad, with expiring contracts meaning there could be

Now in League One, many of the decisions at the club over the last decade or so have seen the club fall from grace and the Premier League. They have been relegated four times in the last 11 years but are hoping that the difficult times are behind them at last.

Administration and financial difficulties have been the main reasons behind that but poor recruitment has been an issue as well for Bolton. However, like any manager, Ian Evatt will hope that this year his squad is as strong as it can be.

Evatt has impressed since taking over the role in 2020, helping to develop the squad year-on-year and he will have some difficult decisions to make ahead of the summer transfer window.

Bolton may soon have to start turning their attention to the future of their squad because, as things stand, they have several players leaving for nothing if new contracts are not agreed.

Here, we take a look at all of the players in the final year of their deals in 2024/25.

1 Gethin Jones

Gethin Jones has been with Bolton since the summer of 2020, when he joined the club on a free transfer from Carlisle United. The versatile defender has proven to be such an important figure for the club in recent years - being utilised as a right-back, right wing-back, and centre-back under Evatt.

He signed a two-year extension in 2023 and is now in the final 12 months of his contract at the club.

2 Luke Matheson

Luke Matheson has struggled to fulfill his lofty potential and the fresh start at Bolton has not delivered what many had hoped.

Still just 22, Matheson is out of contract at Wanderers in the summer and a fringe member of Evatt's squad, which leaves the League One club facing a difficult dilemma.

Another move in the summer may be the best thing for his development.

3 Nathan Baxter

Bolton signed Nathan Baxter on a free transfer in the summer transfer window last year after he left Chelsea when his contract expired; joining the Trotters was the player’s first permanent move in his career.

The goalkeeper endured a productive first season at the club, as he played 33 times in the league, conceding 33 goals and keeping 14 clean sheets.

He was linked with a Championship move in the summer and is surely a player that Bolton will want to tie down.

4 Joel Coleman

Joel Coleman is also entering the final 12 months of his contract after arriving on a free last summer from Huddersfield Town - Bolton becoming the latest of a host of EFL clubs he has represented.

The shot-stopper played 19 times for the Trotters in all competitions last season and is predominantly a backup to Baxter but has been reliable when called upon.

Ricardo Santos is probably the highest-profile player on this list. The centre-back has been a key figure during Bolton's rise back up the EFL and a mainstay in the side under Evatt when fit.

The defender remains at the Toughsheet Community Stadium despite talk that he could move on in the summer but having entered the final 12 months of the three-year extension he signed in 2022, his future is uncertain.

6 Josh Sheehan

Bolton announced that midfielder Josh Sheehan signed a new two-year contract at the end of the 2022/23 season. The midfielder has been with the club since the summer of 2021, arriving on a free transfer after leaving Newport County.

Sheehan has had some injury concerns during his time with the Trotters, but when he has been fit and available, he has shown how instrumental he can be. In the 2023/24 season, the Welshman collected 12 assists, proving to be a vital cog in their midfield department.

7 Josh Dacres-Cogley

Bolton signed defender Josh Dacres-Cogley on a free transfer last summer and it was a productive first season at the club for the player. The right-back played 44 times in League One and chipped in with goal contributions from that flank.

The 28-year-old seemed to make the right side of defence his own in the 2023/24 campaign and has done the same this term so it would be no surprise to see the club try to tie him down.

8 Randell Williams

Randell Williams joined the club in January 2023, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract at the time. Williams arrived from Hull City after being with the Tigers for 18 months, and since joining the Trotters, the midfielder has been an important part of the Bolton team.

Williams played 32 times last season, during which he scored three goals and chipped in with three assists. Minutes have been harder to come by this season, which could be telling with the future in mind.

A stalwart of English football, Scott Arfield was a summer addition who signed an initial one-year deal. He will hope to help Bolton get out of the Championship and add another EFL promotion to his CV.

Arfield only recently joined from Charlotte FC and has been utilised as more of a substitute for Bolton so far in the league. However, the 35-year-old's experience and know-how with the likes of Burnley, Rangers, and Huddersfield Town is likely to be influential in the dressing room at Bolton.

Whether he has a future at Wanderers beyond the 2024/25 campaign remains to be seen.