Pundit Jobi McAnuff believes Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt must get the club promoted from League One this season.
The Trotters missed out on automatic promotion on the final day of last season, and they suffered further heartbreak as they were beaten 2-0 by Oxford United in the play-off final at Wembley.
After giving her strong backing to Evatt, Bolton chairman Sharon Brittan promised increased investment in the transfer market, and she has certainly delivered on her words, with eight new players arriving at the Toughsheet Community Stadium so far this summer.
Bolton Wanderers – 2024-25 Signings | ||
---|---|---|
Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
Luke Southwood | Cheltenham Town | Permanent |
Chris Forino | Wycombe Wanderers | Permanent |
Jordi Osei-Tutu | Bochum | Permanent |
Szabolcs Schon | Fehervar | Permanent |
Jay Matete | Sunderland | Loan |
Scott Arfield | Charlotte FC | Permanent |
Klaidi Lolos | Crawley Town | Permanent |
John McAtee | Luton Town | Permanent |
There have also been a number of departures, including the likes of Declan John, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Cameron Jerome, while one of last season’s influential loanees, Paris Maghoma, has returned to parent club Brentford, so Evatt may be keen to strengthen further before the end of the transfer window.
Wanderers get their season underway when they make the trip to face Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road on Saturday, and after three failed promotion attempts, they will be hoping this is the year they can secure their return to the Championship.
McAnuff: Ian Evatt is under pressure at Bolton Wanderers
McAnuff believes that given the backing he has received this summer, Evatt must deliver promotion for Bolton this season, and he says the 42-year-old will come under scrutiny if he fails to achieve that objective.
“I think there is pressure, particularly because of the way the play-off final went where they were totally outplayed, they got done tactically for me and it was a real masterclass by Des Buckingham and Oxford,” McAnuff said on the BBC’s Football Daily podcast.
“As a coach and manager you want to feel like you’ve got the tools to go out and be successful, and he has had those tools.
“I think, for me, this is the season that he has to get promoted.
“I think if he doesn’t, then he as a coach would have to say that he hasn’t quite achieved what the remit was, and their remit is going to be promotion, there’s no two ways about that.
“They’ve had a couple of good signings, I think Lolos from Crawley is going to add to that attacking threat they already pose for sure, and Luke Southwood in goal is a really astute signing from Cheltenham.
“He has been backed, in my opinion, in terms of what he would have wanted in the off-season.
“I’m sure managers always want more, but with the squad that they’ve already got which has been successful, it is a case of not going over the top, adding that bit of quality and making sure they’ve got enough to get over the line.”
Ian Evatt’s side came agonisingly close to going up last time out.
It is difficult to disagree with McAnuff that Evatt has to get Bolton promoted from League One this season.
The Trotters already had an incredibly strong squad, but it has been bolstered further by some excellent recruitment this summer, and Evatt has certainly been backed.
Wanderers have a solid defensive platform with the likes of Ricardo Santos, Chris Forino and Eoin Toal, while they have some of the best attacking options in the division, such as Victor Adeboyejo, Dion Charles, Aaron Collins and John McAtee, so there is no doubt that Evatt’s men should be in contention for automatic promotion.
The third tier looks set to be an incredibly competitive division this season, so it will not be easy for the Trotters, but anything less than promotion will be seen as a failure, and Evatt’s position could come under threat if they were to miss out again.