AS Wanderers fans look towards next month's transfer window, it seems only fitting to review last season’s recruitment and why it failed so miserably to get the club into contention for a promotion place.
In the first of a series of articles reviewing what went wrong at the Toughsheet, and why the post play-off black cloud refused to shift, we start by reflecting on the 11 signings made by the club after Wembley, the impact they made, and whether they now have a future under Steven Schumacher.
Chris Forino
Became Wanderers’ first summer signing, with the club claiming to have fought off “fierce competition” from Championship and League One rivals to bring the defender in on a free transfer from Wycombe.
Well-regarded at Adams Park, his arrival did come with a warning that his injury record had thus far prevented him from realising his full potential. And for the first half of the season, that proved disconcertingly correct.
Injured after the Carabao Cup defeat at Arsenal, it wasn’t until March that we saw Forino at his best, and his late-season performances suggest he could be a key figure for Steven Schumacher next season. His unflinching honesty in post-match interviews and jobs" target="_blank">work with the community arm of the club also reflect well.
Verdict: Fifteen starts out of 56 isn’t good enough but if Forino can keep fit, he has the tools to be a success with Wanderers.
Luke Southwood
Though he arrived with a broken leg from his time with Cheltenham, the Northern Ireland international did get fit in time to feature in the early rounds of the cup, putting down some markers as he chased first choice Nathan Baxter for his place in the team.
After an injury to Baxter presented a burst of games in October it wasn’t until January that Southwood really got his chance. And though it was Ian Evatt who reinstated him, Schumacher kept faith and cemented him as number one until March.
Southwood conceded 17 goals in a 13-game run but was dropped against Stockport after Schumacher reviewed some of the data accrued in his first few weeks, which indicated Baxter was the better bet.
A poor run, with only two wins from Baxter’s eight starts, saw Southwood drafted back in for the final two matches but promotion hopes had long faded.
Verdict: Contracted for next season and not without his supporters at Bolton, it seems likely Southwood will have to scrap again for the number one spot with a summer signing.
Klaidi Lolos
The third arrival of the summer was a wildcard. Costing a reported £200,000 from Crawley Town, Lolos was high on confidence after winning the League Two play-offs.
“It's important that we get fresh people in, with a fresh outlook and fresh positivity,” said Ian Evatt, eager to move on from his own play-off disaster.
But an injury on the opening day of the season at Leyton Orient clipped what had been an encouraging summer and though Lolos returned with a memorable winner against Peterborough, his place in the team has never looked secure.
Verdict: Clearly talented, but versatility can be a disadvantage and is it hard to see where Lolos fits into the jigsaw for Schumacher.
Scott Arfield
Bolton’s dressing room needed some experience, and Arfield’s CV was as good as anyone’s but the Scot was coming off the back of a full season in MLS and never looked remotely ready to play a part at Wanderers.
Arfield went on to have success with Falkirk after leaving in January, so maybe in time he could have made an impact. His name had become synonymous with the faltering recruitment and a toxic environment at Wanderers, though, and it was the right call to go.
Verdict: Not the only signing who will be remembered for the wrong reasons this season – but it just didn’t happen for the former Burnley and Huddersfield midfielder.
Szabi Schön
Reports on the continent claimed Bolton paid out £700,000 to sign the Hungarian from Fehérvár, and the culture clash as he went straight into a pre-season friendly at Port Vale was something to behold.
Schön did his best to live up to his billing as a wing-back, and in truth he has never lacked for a shred of effort all season long. He did look happier once switched to the wing by Schumacher, however, even if he suffered from the same inconsistencies around the penalty box as so many of his team-mates.
Verdict: Schumacher says he wants to play wingers, so Schön will have a chance next season, but he will need to work on that end product.
Jay Matete
With Evatt trying to bed in a new midfield shape, Matete’s addition on loan from Sunderland looked a great fit. He knew the way out of this division too, which felt like an important psychological boost to the dressing room.
The reality for Matete was that he impressed in fits and starts. His two goals against Lincoln in December were a high point, and there were times when his ability to carry the ball through midfield set him apart. Sadly, a frustrating tendency to cough up possession in his own half also led to a few moments of frustration, and a three-game ban issued for violent conduct in Evatt’s last game in charge against Charlton was a big blot on his copybook.
Verdict: Had worked with Schumacher before at Plymouth but the magic never really returned. Will invariably be sent out again this season by the Black Cats.
Jordi Osei-Tutu
The seventh signing of the summer came so close to being a lucky one, and if Wanderers can find a way to get Osei-Tutu fit, confident and trusting his own body again, they do have a real talent on their hands.
Costing a reported £250,000 from VFL Bochum in Germany, the former Arsenal trainee was a gamble, given his injury record in the last few seasons. And after damaging a hamstring playing in the Very Trophy group stages at Barrow, he managed just three starts all the way to mid-December.
But things did pick up and his conditioning did improve. Schumacher got a run of games out of him through March and April, only for more injury issues to strike at Barnsley.
Verdict: An archetypal Wanderers signing of late – talent, promise but so much injury baggage.
John McAtee
His fee was officially undisclosed but referred to as “seven figure” by Evatt, the deal for McAtee had been slow going. The striker had been impressive at Barnsley the previous season and from afar he had the sort of mettle and devilment Bolton had lacked.
A long summer spent on the periphery at Luton didn’t help, but McAtee has since admitted his early-season conditioning wasn’t good enough. He was moved from pillar to post as Evatt tried to make his new tactical system work and was eventually told to play as a number nine when the whole experiment was scrapped.
With a lack of alternative options, Schumacher had to do likewise. A return of 12 goals was not terrible but Bolton fans have been left feeling short-changed.
Verdict: One of Wanderers’ many stray number 10s and secondary strikers, and one who has rarely looked the player he was on loan at Barnsley. Needs to be better.
Alex Murphy
Initially earmarked to sign in the summer, a deal for Murphy had to be shelved because of injury. When Bolton came back in for him in January, the defender hadn’t even made his debut before Evatt departed the club.
The young Irishman never quite found his niche, often used as a left-back or left wing-back, he seemed more comfortable being asked to defend rather than push on. A few errors clearly eroded his confidence, and he goes back to Tyneside hoping his next loan will be more comfortable.
Verdict: Never looked like being a success.
Joel Randall
Wanderers spent much of last summer wrestling Peterborough United for number 10 Randall, with Darragh McAnthony claiming the bidding went above £2million.
After talks broke down, Randall had a complex half-season of fallouts and reconciliation with Posh, and by January Bolton were back again – this time having a £1.2m offer accepted.
It is not the player’s fault that he walked into a toxic atmosphere at Wanderers, nor that he did so without really being settled off the pitch and living out of the team hotel. But football is an unforgiving business, and the price tag meant his inconsistent form in the last few months has been magnified.
Verdict: Schumacher can get more out of Randall. And if the player can lay down some firm roots with the club, he has the talent and ability to be a game-winner next season.
Kion Etete
Signed on loan from Cardiff City in the Twilight Zone between Evatt’s departure and Schumacher’s arrival, this was without doubt the most damning piece of evidence against Wanderers’ recruitment of all.
Leave aside a troubling debut, a penalty conceded minutes after coming off the bench, Etete simply never looked close to fit enough to make any dent in League One.
A list of niggling injuries ended with him declaring himself unfit with a dead leg before the end of the season, the tone of Schumacher’s voice saying everything as he reported it at the time.
Verdict: Been a long, long time since a signing went this bad.
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