The answer to a stressful summer of recruitment at Wanderers has been to reach out for a tried and trusted option in attack.
Ryan Hardie averaged a goal every three games for Steven Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle and hit double figures during each of his Championship seasons with the Devon club.
Bolton’s need for attacking reinforcements has been well documented, and the ripples of concern around the fanbase had threatened to drown out the excitement of the club’s long-awaited return to this level of football.
The likelihood of a return for Celtic’s Johnny Kenny gradually faded over time, and when the Whites spurned a handful of presentable chances in the Carabao Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, the urgency in Schumacher’s voice as he called for a “boost” from the transfer market was clear.
Wanderers will hope that Hardie can follow Sam Dalby’s lead, escaping Phil Parkinson’s stacked squad to get some breathing room for a return to form.
Dalby had revived his career on loan with Dundee United but Hardie failed to do the same when he went to Huddersfield Town in January and so he will be hoping a reunion with Schumacher will do the trick.
Most fans are aware that Bolton would have signed Hardie on loan in January had he not still been nursing a knee injury sustained the previous month at Wrexham.
That caution proved completely warranted in the end as the striker struggled for game time in the final few months of the season, whereas Bolton’s path led to a successful, if brief, loan move for Kenny.
That Hardie was available at all, just six months after joining Wrexham for £700,000, spoke of how quickly his time in North Wales had soured.
A big miss against Southampton on his debut got him off on the wrong foot, and with Kiefer Moore and Sam Smith both obstructing his way to regular football, the majority of Hardie’s football last season was played in the cup competitions.
Minor injuries were a further frustration, and though his record prior to last season points towards a player who is robust and available, that is a factor Wanderers must manage properly with resources so tight.
Hardie is 6ft 2ins and should bring some more physicality to the Bolton attack.
Schumacher spoke recently about wanting someone who could complement Sam Dalby’s excellent hold up and link play, and much of his time at Plymouth was spent as a traditional number nine.
Wanderers are also pursuing a pacier, more mobile option in Max Dean, the KAA Gent forward who can also play in wider positions.
He is likely to be the club’s biggest transfer outlay of the summer – or indeed Schumacher’s tenure – and alongside Hardie and Dalby would finally give the head coach the flexibility which has been missing through the pre-season friendlies.
Hardie has one year left on his contract with Wrexham, yet a reconciliation looks highly unlikely.
Should he manage to help Wanderers stay in the division, a permanent move looks feasible.
It is a happy coincidence that the Scot comes straight into the squad to face Preston North End, the team against which he enjoyed his most successful moment in a Wrexham shirt.
Cutting in from the left, he unleashed a wonderful dipping shot from a tight angle during a 3-2 Carabao Cup win at Deepdale, and how Bolton would love to see that replicated in front of a packed house on Saturday afternoon.
Now in the prime of his career, Hardie has arguably just endured his most difficult 12 months since he moved to English football.
A lack of chances at Wrexham, fitness issues scuppering his chances of success with Huddersfield last term, he comes to Bolton looking to be Schumacher’s talisman all over again.
"Ryan is a big confidence player, he's got the most self-confidence as a player that I've seen for a long time and this year he backs himself every week to score," the Bolton boss once said of the Scot.
"He gets chances every week, so hopefully he keeps taking them."
Share