AS football gets ready to adapt to challenges presented by the coronavirus crisis, Wanderers will be watching with interest at potential changes to the transfer system.

A report from The Athletic yesterday claimed FIFA are about to extend the 2019/20 campaign indefinitely, which will enable each country’s football authority to determine when their respective competitions will finish.

As part of their plan it is expected the dates of the summer transfer window will also be changed to allow clubs to agree short-term contracts with players whose deals are set to expire on June 30.

Wanderers have 15 professional players who fall into that category and a handful of scholars – including Ronan Darcy – who have also been in the first team picture.

The determination of both the Premier League and EFL to complete the current campaign will potentially leave clubs like Wanderers in a precarious financial position.

With relegation almost certain, a large turnover of players was expected this summer as Bolton cut cloth accordingly for League Two. That process was simplified with the large percentage of players who fell out of contract. But should the campaign be extended into the summer, as now looks likely, the club could find negotiating short-term agreements more complicated when they are unable or unwilling to put longer deals on the table.

Under current rules, players falling out of contract have also been able to discuss terms with other clubs since January.

The matter becomes even more tangled when you consider manager Keith Hill and his assistant David Flitcroft are only contracted up to this summer, their own futures having been a matter of much speculation in the weeks leading up to the hiatus.

Wanderers were in the midst of re-shaping their academy, which will now be downgraded to Category Three, and also have a new recruitment structure headed up by Tobias Phoenix.