ANDY Taylor is convinced he made the right move joining Wanderers now that the transfer deadline has passed.

Phil Parkinson managed to add five new names to the squad on Wednesday to bolster his options – with Taylor among 12 players signed in the window as a whole.

But the experienced full-back, recruited from Wigan, was equally glad to see the Whites keep hold of their star names and feels a promotion push is now within their reach.

“I said all along that if the club can add more players, fine, but it was most important to keep hold of their best ones,” he told The Bolton News. “That represents success in my book.

“I played against Zach Clough last season at Reading, he’s a great player. I know about Josh Vela and Max Clayton, so keeping hold of them was a big, big thing in my eyes.

“In fact, when you get Zach and Max back fit again it would be like signing new players.”

Taylor is a rarity in recent years, a player who has arrived at Bolton from Wigan and not vice-versa.

His two years at the DW Stadium was, in his own words, “difficult” and he spent the whole of last season on loan at Reading.

“I wanted to stay in the Championship after Wigan had got relegated and came back in pre-season, worked hard, but the manager (Gary Caldwell) had his own squad from last season,” he explained.

“Things turned a little bit sour and we didn’t see eye-to-eye but luckily this came off and I was eager to get it over the line.”

Taylor watched Wanderers drop like a stone from the Championship last season amid some horrific financial problems and was keen to know exactly what he was getting himself into this summer.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t concerned,” he said. “Looking at it from the outside it didn’t look great. But the manager was really honest, he put any worries I had to the back of my mind.

“He’s in charge, he’s running the ship, and it’s been a very good start.”

A chat with former Middlesbrough team-mate David Wheater also helped tip the scales in Wanderers’ favour.

“Once I found out there was interest I spoke to Wheats and he’d only just re-signed,” he said. “He couldn’t speak highly enough of the place, the people and the area.

“I knew right away it was something I wanted to get involved in.”