ARE Bolton Wanderers a stronger proposition than they were going into the January transfer window? The answer is more complex than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Predictable disappointment echoed around social media on Monday night as no further signings were added to Steven Schumacher’s squad, and the late sales of Randell Williams and Scott Arfield provided scant distraction.
It proved an uneventful conclusion to what has been a dramatic few weeks, a window in which Wanderers changed managers, sold their top scorer of the last two seasons, spent their biggest transfer fee in a decade, and yet somehow ended up five points closer to the play-off places than they were on New Year’s Day.
Fans had hoped the timing of Steven Schumacher’s arrival as head coach, confirmed a few days before deadline day, would mean the addition of a personal touch to the squad. The one signing made after his appointment – that of Cardiff City loanee Kion Etete – had been in transit during Ian Evatt’s final days, and the striker’s inauspicious debut as a substitute at Reading did little to quell growing concerns about the club’s recruitment strategies.
Stepping back from the theatre of deadline day, where frantic late deals are applauded and sensible, logical planning is often portrayed as dull, it may surprise folk to learn that Wanderers do genuinely feel in a better position now than they did at the start of January.
Schumacher had said at the weekend that there were no glaring gaps in the squad, his positive outlook undampened by the late defeat in Berkshire. Should he still feel the same way in May, there could be no better outcome. Wanderers have put their faith in his ability to pick up the baton and run with it, freed from the choking toxicity which had gradually built around his predecessor’s time in the dugout.
Only one other club in League One changed manager in January, and that was not by design. Wycombe lost Matt Bloomfield and named his successor, ex-Sunderland coach Mike Dodds, with a statement which will chime with the current mood at Bolton.
“Mike shares our vision of building the club through innovation and data, ensuring that we continue to evolve and stay ahead in an increasingly competitive landscape,” said the club, soon to add four new players on deadline day as they attempted to cement their place in the automatic promotion places.
Bolton have, of course, dived headlong into the world of data during their own recruitment over the last five years, and with league position and results no longer tallying with the visible expenditure on transfer fees, some frustration is now being aimed at the system itself.
Wanderers have built their own recruitment and analysis department from scratch via sporting director, Chris Markham, and have also established links with data firm Ludonautics through the issue of B class shares. Head coach Schumacher says he has “thrived” in such a set-up before at Plymouth, and that it had been part of the attraction of coming to Bolton.
What is clear with the window closed is that Schumacher will now have to make it work. If Arfield and Williams were effectively excess fat, then the trimmed down squad that is left behind will need to operate more efficiently than it ever has if the Whites are to finally realise their target of promotion.
Aaron Collins has hit a rich vein in front of goal, scoring 15 times in all competitions so far, but with Charles sold on to Huddersfield the next most reliable source has been John McAtee, who has netted seven times.
Faith has been shown in Victor Adeboyejo over the last few games, by Schumacher and the interim management team, but the Nigerian has only four goals to his name this season. Despite his hard work up front, he did not have a shot on target in any of his last three starts.
New arrival Etete is a player Bolton hope can provide some physicality which has been lacking in their attack, but his scoring record has also been slim, with five in 52 Championship appearances for his parent club.
In many eyes the decision to sell Charles, who despite a drop in form had still managed eight goals this term, added to the 49 he had collected in the previous two-and-a-half seasons, is still a hard one to substantiate.
Cash has been spent. Wanderers have invested heavily in attacking midfielder Joel Randall – who has hinted at a goalscoring future – and brought in youngster Alex Murphy from Newcastle United. The club will also have dug deep to change manager and backroom staff, the cost of which may only come out in the wash when future accounts are published.
There may also be an unspoken logic at play. Bolton had gone into this season with a top two target, and those ambitions were very swiftly eroded. Top six and a third successive tilt at the play-offs is now the aim. Had Bolton been in Wycombe’s position – as they were 12 months ago when the club shelled out £750,000 to buy Collins from Bristol Rovers – the temptation to strengthen may have been stronger.
Whether Schumacher successfully inspires a dash for the line or he uses the remaining 17 games to assess which players stay with him for next season’s tilt, a major summer rebuild looks inevitable, and won’t come cheaply.
