Steven Schumacher drops Bolton Wanderers transfer hint | OneFootball

Trotters boss says his squad lacks the drive, consistency and mentality needed to challenge for promotion

Bolton Wanderers boss Steven Schumacher has offered a candid assessment of the qualities his side must add over the summer as the club prepares for another push at promotion from League One.

Speaking at the end of a campaign that saw Bolton fall short of the play-offs by 10 points, Schumacher outlined the characteristics he feels are missing from the current group - and what he’ll be prioritising in recruitment talks this week.

“We’re probably missing that here” - Steven Schumacher calls for stronger standards and winning mentality

“You have just got to find the right players and get the right personalities in more than anything,” Schumacher told The Bolton News.

“You need to get the people who hold themselves to the highest standard every single day, they train properly, they carry out what you have asked them to do on the pitch week in, week out, and they are consistent.

“We found a way to do that at Plymouth a few years ago and I want to find a way to do that here at Bolton as well.”

“You have got to know how to win games,” he said. “You have to know the size of the task and the expectation that this club has and be able to deal with it as well.

“If we can bring in people who have experience of promotions, then brilliant, and also if we can bring in some people who have that youth, that energy and enthusiasm, so they play with confidence regardless of what’s going on, then that will help us as well.

“Being able to attract players to a club of this size shouldn’t be a problem. But, again, they have to be the right types who are going to be able to handle what it takes to play here.

“Winning a promotion, no matter what division it’s in, isn’t easy because you need a winning mentality.

“You look at Sarce [Antoni Sarcevic] and he’s just got a sixth one with Bradford City. It’s a different division, that’s fine, OK, but you still need to have what it takes to drive standards and demand that everyone around you is doing the same. I think that is something we’re probably missing here as well.

“It is probably a driving force, digging each other out, pushing each other every single day and not letting standards drop. That’s the key to going up.”

With recruitment discussions underway and new sporting director Fergal Harkin set to arrive from Standard Liege, Schumacher’s comments make clear that any summer additions will be judged not just on ability, but attitude.

The lack of consistent standards and a hardened, promotion-ready mentality has cost the Trotters this term, and bridging that gap will be central to their hopes in 2025.

While Schumacher remains positive about the Bolton group he inherited, his words underscore that mental resilience, accountability, and everyday intensity are not optional - they’re the foundation for a squad with genuine aspirations of going up.