Bolton Wanderers could be in line for a very busy summer as they look to bounce back from play-off heartbreak.
The Trotters will likely head into the new League One season among the favourites to get promoted, as they were in the 2023/24 campaign.
The Lancashire side will definitely be hurting as they were expected to be promoted this season, especially when they made it to the play-off final.
However, it wasn’t to be, and it’s now the job of Ian Evatt to galvanise the squad to make sure they come back even stronger.
There is likely going to be a lot of coming and going at the club over the next few months, as players are set to leave this summer when their contracts expire.
The concentration will be on this summer and what happens, but Bolton may soon have to start turning their attention to next summer because, as things stand, they have several players leaving for nothing if new contracts are not agreed.
Here we have decided to use Transfermarkt and look at the Bolton players set to leave next summer if nothing changes…
Bolton Wanderers players whose contracts expire in 2025 | ||
---|---|---|
Players | Contract signed | Contract expires |
Nathan Baxter | July 2023 | June 2025 |
Luke Hutchinson | May 2024 | June 2025 |
Joel Coleman | July 2023 | June 2025 |
Gethin Jones | June 2023 | June 2025 |
Josh Dacres-Cogley | July 2023 | June 2025 |
Ricardo Santos | May 2022 | June 2025 |
Jack Iredale | July 2022 | June 2025 |
Josh Sheehan | June 2023 | June 2025 |
Randell Williams | January 2023 | June 2025 |
Stats as per Transfermarkt (As it stands on the 3rd of June) |
Nathan Baxter
Bolton signed Nathan Baxter on a free transfer in the summer transfer window last year, as he left Chelsea when his contract expired.
The goalkeeper came through the ranks at Chelsea but never played a single minute for the club in the first team, spending the majority of his time there on loan at various other teams.
Joining the Trotters was the player’s first permanent move in his career. When he joined last summer, Baxter signed a two-year contract, which means he is now entering the final 12 months of that deal and will leave for nothing next summer if nothing changes.
The goalkeeper endured a productive first season at the club, as he played 33 times in the league, conceding 33 goals and keeping 14 clean sheets.
Luke Hutchinson
Luke Hutchinson is a product of Bolton Wanderers’ academy, having come through their under-18s into the first team.
Hutchinson has yet to feature for the Trotters in any competition, with him featuring more on loan at non-league clubs.
The 21-year-old is highly rated at the club, and the hope is that he can push Baxter in the season to come as he looks to play more games.
Hutchinson’s contract at the Toughsheet Community Stadium was extended at the end of the season, meaning his deal now runs until the summer of 2025.
Joel Coleman
The third player on this list is another goalkeeper at the club, with Joel Coleman also entering the final 12 months of his contract.
The 28-year-old was also an arrival last summer, as Bolton brought two new goalkeepers into the club ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Coleman has already played for several sides in the EFL, with Bolton now being the latest. The shotstopper played 19 times for the Trotters in all competitions this season, conceding 20 goals and keeping seven clean sheets.
Coleman was predominantly a backup to Baxter, but when he was called upon, he did very well between the sticks.
When the Lancashire side announced the signing of Coleman, it was stated that he agreed to a two-year contract, meaning his deal expires in 12 months.
Gethin Jones
Gethin Jones has been with Bolton since the summer of 2020, when he joined the club on a free transfer from Carlisle United.
The defender has been such an important figure for the club in recent years, as he’s been used as a right-back, right wing-back, and at centre-back.
He has been a regular starter under Evatt, but he is now entering a crucial moment in his career, as he is in the final 12 months of his contract at the club.
Jones signed a contract extension in June last year, and that comes to an end next summer if nothing changes.
Josh Dacres-Cogley
Bolton signed defender Josh Dacres-Cogley on a free transfer last summer, and it was a productive first season at the club for the player.
The right-back played 44 times in League One during the course of the season, scoring three goals and chipping in with five assists.
The 28-year-old seemed to make the right side of defence his own in the 2023/24 campaign, and he will be looking to do the same in the next season.
When he joined the club last summer, he also signed a two-year deal, so unless a new contract is agreed, Dacres-Cogley will be leaving for nothing next summer.
Ricardo Santos
Ricardo Santos is probably the highest-profile player on this list, as he’s been someone who has continued to impress for the club for a number of seasons now.
The centre-back joined the club in 2020 and was instrumental in the club being promoted from League Two in his first season.
He has since established himself as a top-performing League One defender, with reports stating that Bolton could lose the defender this summer even if they had achieved promotion.
If Santos doesn’t leave the club this summer, he will do so for free in a year, unless a new contract is agreed upon. The defender signed a contract extension of three years back in 2022, and unless a new deal is agreed upon, he will be leaving next summer.
Jack Iredale
Jack Iredale was Bolton’s first summer signing in 2022, joining the club on a free transfer after leaving Cambridge United.
That summer, he signed a three-year contract, and with no new deal being agreed, the player will enter the final 12 months of his deal this summer.
Iredale has featured heavily for Bolton since joining the club, with him playing 68 times for the Trotters in all competitions, during which he has scored three goals and recorded seven assists.
The left-back played over 30 times in League One in the 2023/24 season, but only featured in one of the three play-off games the club played.
If nothing changes during the course of the campaign, Iredale will be heading out the exit door for nothing this time next year.
Josh Sheehan
Bolton announced that midfielder Josh Sheehan signed a new two-year contract at the end of the 2022/23 season.
The midfielder has been with the club since the summer of 2021, arriving on a free transfer after leaving Newport County.
Sheehan has had some injury concerns during his time with the Trotters, but when he has been fit and available, he has shown how good he is at this level.
In the 2023/24 season, the Welshman finished the campaign with two goals and 12 assists, as he was very important in their midfield department.