Steven Schumacher reckons that Wanderers’ homework paid off as they managed to navigate the ‘curveballs’ that came their way in the January window.
Johnny Kenny’s loan switch from Celtic on deadline day made it seven new additions at the Toughsheet Stadium.
Injuries to Amario Cozier-Duberry and Marcus Forss, as well as changes in the goalkeeping department, meant that the club had to react quickly in some cases.
But Schumacher, who worked closely with sporting director Fergal Harkin and head of recruitment Jimmy Dickinson, says having the right “processes” in place made it possible to adapt.
Lewis Temple was the first to arrive before the goalkeeping overhaul saw Jack Bonham and David Harrington join from Stoke and Fleetwood respectively.
Corey Blackett-Taylor and Rob Apter – who both arrived on loan from the Championship - came straight into the side as the Whites won at Wimbledon last weekend. Ruben Rodrigues also arrived on a free transfer after a spell in South America.
Schumacher tipped his cap to the recruitment department, whose due diligence helped Bolton get their business done before the deadline.
“That is the benefit of pre-planning because you have to be able to react and you have to be able to deal with unexpected things that pop up,” he told The Bolton News.
“But if you haven't got the right players in place or the right profiles of players lined up - or thinking, ‘If this was to happen, what do we do?’ – you would maybe miss out on those opportunities.
“We wanted to bring in another winger anyway, that was always the plan. We brought in two with the injury to Amario.
“When we knew that both players were available – I’ve said before I wanted to sign Rob Apter permanently in the summer but didn't manage to do that.
“And Corey is obviously somebody who's got loads of Championship experience and experience of this division.
“He brings a different element to what we need - that pace and power - so to be able to do that straightaway is really important. I’m pleased that our processes are good.”
It was a busy month on and off the pitch, with nine matches to contend with in addition to the efforts on the transfer front.
But Schumacher is confident that his squad leaves the window in a strong place than they entered it as Wanderers aim to kick on in the final months of the campaign.
“It can be a month that can have a bit of disruption, it can be a month where there's a lot of speculation and rumour that goes around, it can be exciting for the fans, it can be monotonous for the staff,” he grinned.
“But I think we've come out of the January transfer window in a stronger place than what we entered it in.”
It is unusual to bring in two new goalkeepers midway through the season, but it became a necessity as Teddy Sharman-Lowe returned to Chelsea and Tyler Miller headed back to the United States.
Bonham, who Schumacher was already familiar with from his time in charge of the Potters, has played in every game since his switch from Stoke and made a positive start between the sticks.
Away from the goalkeeping department, the boss admitted that some of the departures had been expected to trim the squad.
However, a couple of others provided food for thought as Wanderers weighed up the pros and cons to their promotion push.
“We certainly didn't expect both goalkeepers to be leaving, so there was two that were unexpected,” Schumacher continued.
“I obviously made a goalkeeping change before Teddy went back to Chelsea, and we were planning on bringing one more experienced goalkeeper in. We felt that's what we needed, and we think that Jack's done a really good job.
“What we didn't expect was Tyler Miller to get the opportunity to go back to America, but he did, so we didn't want to stand in his way.
“Then there were a few ones that we kind of expected, like Will Forrester and Victor Adeboyejo.
“There was a couple of other transfers out in Josh Dacres-Cogley and Aaron Morley - who I think are really good players and would have played a part in our squad - but that wasn't enough for them currently.
“So a few surprises, a few things that we expected, and then obviously picking up a couple of injuries as well made it more necessary for us to strengthen even further.”
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