Repeat of Bolton Wanderers’ transfer coup from 12 months ago would be timely | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are pushing for the play-offs in League One and will hope to find someone who can emulate the success of last year's deadline signing

As we head into the final few days of the winter transfer window, Bolton Wanderers have moved themselves firmly back into contention for the top six and a play-off spot in League One.

To ensure they get over the line this time around after being play-off semi-finalists in the 2022/23 campaign and then play-off finalists last season, Wanderers will look to last year’s winter window coup for inspiration.

The signing of 2022/23 League One Player of the Year Aaron Collins from Bristol Rovers for a fee of £750,000 has proven to be a very impressive one with the Welshman the star man in a faltering Wanderers attack.

However, as they look to improve following the departure of Ian Evatt, everything will be built around him and him alone, as things continue to look a bit clustered and below par in the attacking third of the pitch.

That is why the next few days are crucial for the Trotters to, firstly, identify the next man to become a fulcrum of their attack before then executing a deal, which should be a priority, with due haste.

The impact of Aaron Collins

After a slow-ish start to his time at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, Collins eventually found his groove as spring began towards the end of the last campaign, and he was viewed as the key man quite quickly.

Scoring nine goals in 19 appearances before the end of the campaign, including a crucial long-range strike against Barnsley in the second-leg of their play-off semi-final, Collins was under a bit of pressure to back it up this term.

Once again, albeit with the mitigating circumstance of being surrounded by an underperforming side in all aspects that has fluctuated in the middle of the League One table, Collins started this season slowly.

However, through the winter, there have been signs of improvement and a brilliant effort to clinch all three points in a 3-1 win against Northampton Town this week, rounding off an excellent all-round performance, just days after scoring the only goal in a vital victory in the first game of the post-Evatt era away at Huddersfield Town at the weekend, has only gone to further re-establish the 27-year-old as Bolton’s main man in attack.

He has now scored 15 goals across all competitions for the Whites this season, making it 24 goals in total for Wanderers, as he seeks to become the man to replace the prolific Dion Charles as Bolton’s main source of goals – as well as providing much-needed creativity and spontaneity in the final third.

Bolton’s current attacking situation

The reason for having to be the man to replace Charles is because of Bolton’s decision, perplexing to many, not least because of the departure of Evatt less than a week later, to sell the Northern Ireland international striker to Huddersfield Town for a fee believed to be in the region of £750,000.

That has left Bolton with just one out-and-out striker, Victor Adeboyejo, who joined from Burton Albion in January of 2023 – with Collins viewed more as a creative type, as an attacking midfielder, winger or second striker, alongside the likes of John McAtee, Klaidi Lolos, Scott Arfield, Carlos Mendes Gomes and Joel Randall.

That leaves Bolton with a hole to fill in attack, and they will seek to fill that this week with another attacking signing that they will hope will replicate the almost immediate impact that Collins has had in Lancashire.

There are only a few days left of the window and Bolton may well have their priorities set on actually bringing in a coach to replace Evatt, despite the impressive two-game stint of interim coach and boyhood Bolton Wanderers fan Julian Darby thus far.

Whilst that is and should be a priority, there will be hope within the fanbase that they can pull another rabbit out of the hat in the transfer market to edge them over the line as they once again chase promotion to the second-tier.