DESCRIBED as a “bigger project” by Ian Evatt, Wanderers made a concerted effort to reduce the expectation on new arrival Eoin Toal’s shoulders when he was unveiled to the public on Wednesday afternoon.

Evatt said there would be “no pressure” on his fourth signing of the summer to make an immediate impact in what is his first taste of English football, and a three-year contract certainly gives scope for him to settle at his leisure.

What remains to be seen, however, is how the Northern Irishman can transition from being the captain of a title-challenging side at Derry, revered by the club’s supporters for leading them into European competition, to what is likely to be a watching brief for the time being.

Wanderers have been very careful to compartmentalise their signings this summer. It was pointed out in no uncertain terms, for example, that the addition of ex-Wolves striker Conor Carty or former Gillingham striker Gez Sithole were for the B Team. Toal has been labelled first team, although it is unclear at present in which arena he will improve those “vast attributes” of which the manager speaks.

Looking at the most recent stats from his time at Derry, Toal is an effective passer of the ball through long and short range. He also scores highly among his peers in the League of Ireland on progressive passing – i.e. that which moves his side towards the opposition goal.

At a smidge under 6ft 3ins he has a centre-back’s physique and scores well in defensive duals, much like his new team-mate and captain, Ricardo Santos.

Some analysts on the other side of the sea have questioned whether he has the agility required for a top-level defender but those who watched him in action in Brandywell have had few complaints.

The question is now whether Toal progresses his game on the fringe of the Bolton first team squad or whether he – for the time being – spends his time working with Matt Craddock’s B team to fill in whatever gaps exist in his skillset.

“It has been well documented how in-depth we are with our recruitment process and how we identity position specifics in players and if their attributes fit how we want them to play,” Evatt said on announcing the Armagh-born defender.

Wanderers’ analysis team have clearly seen something in Toal’s performances for Derry which make them think he can challenge Santos, Will Aimson, George Johnston, Jack Iredale and Gethin Jones, and we now know that former striker Eoin Doyle has also given his own scouting input at the latter end of the process.

The fee – though officially undisclosed – is thought to have been five figures and bonus-heavy, depending on his future successes with Wanderers.

That a fee was actually paid puts him into a rather exclusive club of players in Bolton’s recent history, including Dion Charles, Aaron Morley, Kyle Dempsey and, erm, Josh Magennis.

Toal, who will wear the number 18 shirt, does not lack in experience. He played 155 times for Derry over the course of six seasons and became the club’s youngest-ever captain, aged 19, in 2019.

In terms of appearances in top-level divisions, the defender actually has more than any other player (140 games over six seasons) in the Bolton squad – Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s 124 in Iceland and Norway and Kieran Sadlier’s 107 in Ireland second and third respectively.

For the completists, only five other members of Evatt’s squad have played at the highest level in any given country – Elias Kachunga (83 appearances), Declan John (45), George Johnston (4), Kieran Lee (1) and Lloyd Isgrove (1).

Sceptics may point out that Toal’s entire professional career has been spent in the League of Ireland, which according to the latest UEFA coefficients is ranked 40th of Europe’s 55 leagues, a couple of places down from Luxembourg.

There has been progression in recent seasons, however, and that grading looks very likely to improve. Championship and League One clubs, plus those in Scotland, have been quick to pounce on the seam of talent, now allowed to mature slightly longer after some post-Brexit issues slowed the flow of Under-18 players out of the country.

Already this summer we have seen MK Dons pick up St Patrick’s Athletic’s Darragh Burns and Bohemians’ Dawson Devoy, while Lincoln City have invested in Shamrock Rovers’ Daniel Mandriou.

Wanderers also added UCD defender Eric Yoro to their B Team squad and Tottenham picked up another St Pat’s man in goalkeeper Josh Keeley.

Scouting Ireland is now more fashionable, and competitive, than it has been for a while, which means there will be considerable interest in Bolton’s first foray into that market for some time.

Older Wanderers fans may hope he can have the same impact as Gerry McElhinney, the rugged Northern Irish defender signed for £25,000 from Distillery in September 1980.

A boxer of some repute, with a successful Gaelic football background, McElhinney made 127 appearances for Bolton before moving on to Plymouth in 1985 and won six caps for his country.