Wanderers have not ruled out ‘unexpected’ player exits before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

Ian Evatt is looking to sign at least one striker in time to play against Charlton Athletic this afternoon – with Burton Albion’s Victor Adeboyejo and Luton Town veteran Cameron Jerome thought to be most likely candidates at this stage.

But the Bolton boss has prepared the ground with supporters for what he feels could be unpopular sales in the next few days, which would be supplemented by at least one loan signing.

Asked about the prospect of players leaving the University of Bolton Stadium, Evatt told The Bolton News: “Yes, there will be and some may be a little bit unexpected – but my sole aim for every transfer window is to finish and exit stronger than when we started.

“Alongside that, I need to make sure I am making the best decisions, not for Ian Evatt, not for any individual, but for Bolton Wanderers.

“That is my pledge to the fans – I’ll do what I think is right to help this club move forwards.

“That won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but, genuinely, that is what I am trying to do and I can go to sleep knowing I am doing it.

“We are working hard and we’ll see where we get in this window but I’d hope we can get a couple of forward players in the building, which will help us, then there might be one or two more additions to bolster the squad if we feel we can let one or two go.”

League Two pace-setters Leyton Orient are interested in taking Kieran Sadlier – who has been linked with a string of clubs this month.

The 28-year-old has failed to find regular starts outside the cup competitions for Wanderers this season and has been used primarily as an attacking wing-back from the bench.

Sadlier can also play in either the number 10 or nine role – but Evatt says he has not done enough to be considered regularly as a starter up front.

“If you asked Kieran does he want to play wing-back the answer is probably ‘no’ but he will,” the manager said.

“Kieran is one of those versatile players who gets moved around a lot because he can play in different positions, and it isn’t always the best thing.

“What I will say is that when he has had the opportunity to start games in the forward positions, we haven’t seen what I would like to see.

“Kieran’s best performances for us have been as an impact substitute – and sometimes that isn’t what players want to be.

“There is a trade off there between club, manager and player. How does he get first team football? He needs to be doing X, Y and Z.

“Everyone will have an opinion – and some people will think Kieran should be in the team for the way he impacts games. But for us, we need to see that impact from the start, when he does start, more consistently.

“He is a very talented player and a bit like Dapo, when we signed him we were still 4-3-3. And then we changed to 3-5-2 and he was most affected alongside Dapo.

“It doesn’t mean to say he hasn’t had an impact, or that he won’t continue to have an impact, but for now if he wants to nail down a position in the forward roles we require ‘X, Y and Z’ consistently.

“Everyone knows where they stand, they know where it’s at, and we’ll work hard with them to improve.”