Straight From the Stands: Victor Adeboyejo and recruitment

As far as dream starts go, it is fair to say that Victor Adeboyejo would have hoped for a quicker start out of the blocks after Bolton triggered Burton Albion’s release clause to bring him aboard in January.

The aim was to add extra goals and fire Wanderers to promotion, but the Nigerian managed just three goals and two assists, which considering the rumoured fee is not a great return on the club’s investment.

It was an issue which had been Wanderers’ Achilles heel all season, something which Ian Evatt said following the Barnsley defeat.

“We didn’t penetrate well enough, we didn’t have enough cutting edge.

“That’s really been the story of the season. We haven’t scored enough goals.”

Whilst Evatt did not pin the blame solely on his forwards, stating it was a team effort needed to hit the back of the net more, the fact remains that Jon Dadi Bodvarsson missed four months of league action and still finished second in the scoring charts behind Charles with eight goals.

Behind those two were Conor Bradley (seven goals scored), Aaron Morley, Kyle Dempsey and Dapo Afolayan (six), followed by Kieran Sadlier (five), Elias Kachunga and Amadou Bakayoko (four).

Out of those players, three left the club in January, resulting in a huge overhaul in the midst of a playoff push.

It does not make for great reading and proves the point made by Evatt that the team needs to add more goals to their locker - Wanderers scored the fewest out of the top seven teams in League One last year.

This may all sound rather negative, but it is important to realise the issues that are facing Evatt this summer and where they need to improve, which may sound slightly worrying when you consider the money spent in that department.

Adeboyejo has taken some stick, which I feel is harsh. Some are comparing him to Afolayan, purely because he was the guy to replace a fan favourite. Aside from that, they are two completely different players. Dapo was not a system fit and felt it was time for a change.

Whilst that argument could be made for Adeboyejo - who was utilised more as a lone target man for Burton - it is still too early to write him off without a full preseason.

The hope is that the coaching staff can work with him on the training pitch to finetune some details and mould him into a player that can work within Evatt’s system.

Call it a culture shock, call it a player taking time to adapt, call it what you like, the fact is there is too much capital invested to simply cast him aside after a few months and he would not be the first Bolton player to witness a slow start to their career.

There is some pressure on both club and player to make this work, otherwise it could represent the first expensive error made by this recruitment team.

But for now, I am staying positive and have full belief we’ll be singing ‘20 goals, 20 goals Adeboyejo’ next year. Manifest it.

Back recruitment to come good again

by Rob Hurst

FROM his early days in charge of a Barrow side that was coined “Barrow-celona” much of Ian Evatt’s managerial allure has been in the surgical, possession-based playing style he prefers. 

Utilising pivot midfielders with good passing range and explosive wing-backs on the flanks to pry open opposition defences, those tactics have proved fruitful on many occasions. In rare instances, however, they have also been sussed out by our competition. 

There have been murmurs among the fans on this topic for some time, and it most recently came to a head across both legs against Barnsley in the play-offs. Michael Duff’s Tykes came out on top by orchestrating a near-perfect shut-out with a relentless press that disrupted Bolton’s usual intricate passing patterns. 

At times, Wanderers have struggled to turn comfortable possession statistics into attempts at goal. Evatt has also pointed to set pieces being a weakness for his team over the last two seasons. 

Factoring out six converted penalties from the prolific Dion Charles, and Aaron Morley’s screamer against Charlton Athletic, Bolton scored seven set pieces – a respectable number, but one that can be bumped up, nevertheless. 

For me, the ideal addition would come in the form of a target man who could combine with the tireless, ball-chasing Charles.  

Of course, to accommodate Evatt’s principles, the ability to retain the ball is a must. If he could bring in a technically-capable front man who is also handy in the air, then we might benefit more consistently from corners, crosses, and capitalise on the newfound useful tool of Randell William’s long throw.  

An attacking midfielder may also be key to sharpening the Whites’ spear. The departure of Kieran Lee, Shola Shoretire’s return to Manchester United, and question marks over Josh Sheehan leaves us light in the number 10 role. I’d favour a ball-carrying play-maker willing to take defenders on, in the face of the all-too-familiar low block we have faced in our League One endeavours. 

Although our defence has arguably been our strongest asset, it still presents issues that need addressing. Conor Bradley and James Trafford’s return to Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively, leave the club’s recruitment department with possibly the most taxing vacancies of all. Both players were instrumental in Bolton’s system, and finding ‘like for like replacements’ is a task much easier said than done. 

So where does recruitment look to replenish these holes, spruce things up, and vitalise our promotion bid? There are plenty of names tossed in the hat among supporters, some recurring, some fresh.  

The bottom line is that Evatt is a manager who knows what he wants. We can speculate but ultimately, there is no telling as of yet.  

There have been nods already to some cash being splashed this summer, and we are also likely to see the gaffer make good on his growing reputation for nurturing young talent within the loan market. 

Personally, I am extremely optimistic. There is little doubt that plans are already in place. 

Some targets will be tailor-made, and others may take longer to adjust, I have complete trust in a department that seems to have developed a knack for uncovering gems.