Bolton Wanderers keen to strike permanent West Brom transfer | OneFootball

Saturday afternoon was one of disappointment for all concerned with Bolton Wanderers, but attention is already drifting onto next season, with another move for Zac Ashworth touted.

Despite enjoying an extremely credible League One campaign, Ian Evatt and his side were unable to get themselves over the line in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium, coming up short to Oxford United courtesy of a Josh Murphy double in the first-half.

Unquestionably, the performance left the Whites boss cutting an extremely frustrated figure, stating after the full-time whistle that "there's a lot of soul-searching ahead."

Whilst at this present moment, it would seem too quick a turnaround to already be looking ahead to the 2024/25 season with the raw emotion of the defeat still lingering, but reports suggest that isn't potentially the case at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

West Brom loanee linked with potential Bolton return

That's because of reports circulating on Monday morning, which claim that Evatt is already keen for one of his players to make a swift return to the North West.

Transfer guru Alan Nixon has revealed via his Patreon account that Bolton are extremely keen on pursuing a permanent deal for West Bromwich Albion's Zac Ashworth, who joined the club on loan back in July of last year to add to a strong third tier squad.

Nixon went on to claim that the hierarchy at the club are eyeing up a permanent move for the 21-year-old from the Hawthorns, despite barely featuring towards the back end of the season, as the club are looking to rebuild once again as they pursue promotion to the Championship for a third successive campaign.

The report concluded by stating that the club will be holding talks with those out-of contract, as some will be set to depart in the coming weeks, as well as several other loan players who will leave the club at the conclusion of the campaign.

Zac Ashworth's 2023/24 season at Bolton Wanderers

As previously mentioned, Ashworth has barely featured in recent weeks, with his only minutes since the end of February coming via a 20-minute cameo in a 5-2 home success over Reading on April 1st.

The son of former Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion sporting director - Dan Ashworth - has only made 16 appearances in the third tier this season, starting six of those - averaging just 40 minutes per game across the season as a whole.

Across the 618 total minutes the full-back has accumulated across the campaign, Ashworth registered two goals and assists in the league, with the goals coming in back-to-back outings against Carlisle United and Barnsley at the turn of the calendar year.

The youngster also backed up the signs of promise he'd demonstrated at the beginning of the season too, with his other strike in all competitions coming in the Whites' EFL Cup victory over Barrow on August 8th.

A permanent transfer would back up Ashworth's prior comments

Despite always holding great affinity for the Baggies, a potential permanent transfer to the Toughsheet Community Stadium would back up some of the defender's prior remarks back in August.

When quizzed by the Bolton News on whether it was time for him to take sentimentality out of the equation and take risks regarding his overall career, Ashworth responded: "I had the option to stay (at West Brom) but ultimately you have to take risks and make big decisions, so when I heard Bolton were interested my mind was fixed on it. I know it is a risk, ultimately, but hopefully I can be here, work hard and play as many games as I possibly can in a team pushing for promotion, that’s the aim."

Ashworth is under contract in B71 until next summer alongside fellow Albion loanee Caleb Taylor, who also struggled for regular game-time in the Whites defence. Despite his own frustrations this season, the fact his boss remains such a keen admirer can only be a positive for the full-back, and it is definitely a move worth considering in the long run, having been consistent in those appearances.

It's clear that regular minutes are the most important thing for the youngster, so if that is promised, there's no reason as to why he can't be seen making a permanent move in the coming weeks.