WANDERERS limped painfully into the January window but walked out of it with a genuine spring in their step.

Ian Evatt had warned there would be some painful days ahead in late October, and, my word, he was correct.

The team had not so much been taken down a peg or two by humbling defeats against Wigan Athletic, Plymouth Argyle and Stockport County, but ripped from the mast and dumped into the sea.

Yes, Evatt’s choices had been limited drastically by injuries to key men like Lloyd Isgrove, Josh Sheehan and MJ Williams, and, yes, that same squad also got rocked on its heels by an outbreak of Covid. But however logical the explanation for the downturn in form, a fanbase felt embarrassed, and they were not shy in letting their manager know about it.

Evatt asked for patience, insisting the squad would be sufficiently strengthened in the winter window and – let us not kid ourselves – the three games cancelled over the festive period for Coronavirus arrived at an opportune time.

Gradually, each of the seven new signings added to the squad brought a different layer of tactical complexity.

Dion Charles may not have had the debut he had dreamed about, a 1-0 defeat at Hartlepool in the Papa John’s Trophy on a day where his past social media misdemeanours ended up national news, but his pedigree has been undeniable.

With three goals in his last two games, the Northern Ireland international currently looks a steal at £320,000, which will be paid to Accrington Stanley in instalments.

Charles had been the first cash purchase since his compatriot Josh Magennis in 2018 and he characterised the type of business Bolton have been looking to do.

Not blessed with the biggest wage budget – in fact, a recent interview with Sharon Brittan revealed an estimate of “ninth or tenth” in League One – the club focussed on players who were coming out of contract, whose clubs may be receptive to a cash bid.

Had Charles stuck to his guns at Accrington and saw out the remainder of his contract in the reserves, he may well have commanded a big wage next summer but would have lost a year of his career. This way, everyone was a winner, and the striker has become an instant favourite with the fans for his high-tempo, combative style, replacing the outgoing Eoin Doyle.

Xavier Amaechi was desperately unlucky to fracture his foot in a pre-season friendly against Preston North End but he showed enough after rehabilitation to convince Evatt to extend his loan. Once again, the jet-heeled former Arsenal man reduced his wages to help the deal go through, and he will now be desperate to show he can be a regular starter for Bolton in an effort to returning to English football for good next season.

Aaron Morley was another talent whose contract was on the wane at Rochdale, though unlike Charles he was still very much a part of the League Two club’s plans.

Another cash fee – lower than £100,000 – was enough to wrestle him away, and the 21-year-old has blended effortlessly into the side since his arrival.

Wanderers had started the year with Nathan Delfouneso playing as a makeshift midfielder but Morley, a trainee released by the Whites at 15, has since added an encouraging level of composure and creativity on the ball which gives the team an extra layer of depth.

Marlon Fossey, the Hollywood-born, flamboyantly maned full-back, has been another player who has hit the ground running. In fact, the Fulham defender has not stood still since he made his debut at Hartlepool.

Barring his brief injury-interrupted loan spell at Shrewsbury last season there had been very little empirical evidence of the US youth international’s ability to cut it at senior level.

At 23, he no longer fit in development squad football, and he arrived at Bolton with the understanding that something permanent could be arranged if he did well. Just a handful of games in, Whites fans are queuing to offer him a pen to sign a contract.

Evatt knows the better Fossey plays, the more difficult a permanent move from Fulham could prove. Much like Dapo Afolayan and Declan John last season, however, he is banking on the player enjoying his surroundings to the point where no other suitor will be considered.

Perhaps it is a Bolton trait, perhaps football just brings out the natural cynicism in all of us, but the reaction to James Trafford’s loan signing midway through the month was decidedly lukewarm.

While true, he had not set the world alight in a loan spell with Accrington Stanley, nor had much first team experience of which to speak, his pedigree as a goalkeeper at Manchester City and England’s youth was there for all to see.

His tender years were a concern to some, although Joel Dixon’s patchy form had made it abundantly clear that more goalkeeping competition was necessary.

Making his bow the win against Ipswich, Trafford has kept three successive clean sheets at the start of his Whites career. No other Bolton keeper has done that in nearly 40 years.

Confident, cocky even, the 19-year-old Cumbrian has made a fine start to his time at Bolton that promises to keep the doubters at bay for good.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson had experienced plenty of negativity in his time at Millwall. The Iceland international had been recruited for £700,000 from Reading and given a bumper contract but never looked settled in his 18 months in South London.

When Bolton voiced their interest in adding his name to the illustrious list of Icelanders who have worn the white shirt, the presumption was that it would be a loan deal to see out the remainder of his contract at The Den.

Evatt and his technical performance director Chris Markham had seen their opportunity, however, and haggled a permanent deal.

Known as ‘JD’ Bodvarsson may need time to get completely up to full fitness, having fallen into such a lull at his previous club, but his unquestionable pedigree makes him a very exciting addition indeed.

Kieran Sadlier’s highlights reel is well worth watching but he had fallen out of regular rotation at Rotherham United, leaving Evatt an opportunity to sign a player he twice tried to bring to Bolton before.

The creative midfielder, who can play right across the front line, felt he was a better fit for the style of football at Bolton, and now gives the Whites another potential match-winner, not to mention someone handy on set pieces.

And so Wanderers went into the final day of the transfer window with one more gap to fill.

Kyle Dempsey had been a top target through the whole month, the man Evatt felt could improve upon Sarcevic and add an extra dimension of attacking quality to his midfield.

Gillingham’s messy situation – no money, no manager, a fanbase turning against club owner Paul Scally – made negotiations tough. Wanderers held firm on a final valuation but the matter spilled into Deadline Day with no obvious end in sight.

By lunchtime, Neil Harris had been appointed as the Gills’ new boss and things could finally move again. Dempsey high-tailed it from Kent to Lancashire for a medical, the deal only ratified by the league at 11.15pm.

Rebuilding complete, the challenge for Evatt, Markham and the board is now to avoid making the next window such a vital necessity. There will always be a need for evolution, and a football club that treads water will eventually drown, but recruitment cannot always be this dramatic, or the changes so far-reaching.

The summer’s shortlist must be shorter. Then, and only then, will Wanderers take that next step towards complete normality.