Bolton Wanderers: Steven Schumacher urged to address contract situation of 26-year-old | OneFootball

FLW's Trotters fan pundit wants to see Nathan Baxter tied down to a longer deal this summer

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Bolton Wanderers have been urged to extend goalkeeper Nathan Baxter's contract this summer, after he recently spoke of his desire to stay at the club with his current deal at the Toughsheet Community Stadium set to expire in June.

Wanderers have experienced some mixed fortunes in League One this season, but sit seventh in the table and are still very much in with a chance of a top-six finish under recently-appointed head-coach Steven Schumacher with nine games to go.

Their standout players so far this term include the likes of John McAtee, Josh Sheehan and Aaron Morley, and Schumacher looked to have made his choice in goal with Luke Southwood starting all of his first eight league games in charge prior to their key clash against fellow promotion-chasers Stockport County last time out.

Ex-Chelsea man Baxter was handed a chance from the off against the Hatters, however, and he impressed despite Bolton falling to a 1-0 defeat on home turf. The 26-year-old made his feelings clear about staying at the club past his summer contract expiry, and Wanderers have now been called on to offer him fresh terms as soon as possible.

Bolton Wanderers fan pundit issues Nathan Baxter new contract desire

Baxter joined Wanderers in the summer of 2023 after cutting ties with Chelsea following a 17-year association with the Stamford Bridge outfit. He never made a first-team appearance for the Blues, and instead became a regular part of their loan contingent with eight separate spells away between 2016 and the last year of his deal.

The Westminster-born stopper had been a regular in the Championship for Hull City in the two years previous to his switch to Bolton, and so his capture was viewed as a coup for the club ahead of last season. He kept 17 clean sheets in 43 appearances in his debut campaign at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, but did miss a chunk of the second-half of the season with a wrist injury.

He began this term as Ian Evatt's main man in-between the sticks, but was dropped in January for Southwood by the now ex-Trotters boss, just two weeks before he was sacked after a run of poor results. Baxter's time out of the starting eleven continued under Schumacher, but he was reinstated against Stockport and put in a solid performance.

He is clearly a competent keeper in the third-tier, and FLW's Wanderers fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, has urged his club to start making steps towards extending the 26-year-old's contract before it expires in June, after we asked him for a realistic wish in this summer's transfer window.

“One realistic wish for the summer is for the club to retain Nathan Baxter, our goalkeeper," Liam told FLW.

“I was always, maybe wrongfully, under the impression that at some point in the future, Baxter would be leaving.

“With his contract ending at the end of this season, that seemed to be the case, but there are reports coming from himself that he wants to stay.

“His performance against Stockport showed why he is so important to Bolton. He is a very, very good goalkeeper.

“There seems to be question marks around how good he is with his feet, but for me, I don’t see that being too much of an issue.

“If we’re being pressed high by teams, most of our defence seems to struggle as much as Baxter does, so any manager would be able to identify that the ball needs to go long at that point.

“The benefits of Baxter far outweigh the cons, so a realistic wish is for him to stay.”

Baxter has made it clear that he wants to stay at Bolton Wanderers

Trotters boss Schumacher highlighted Baxter's performance against County last time out as "excellent" despite their 1-0 defeat, after he made three strong saves to keep the score down on home turf. As a result, it seems quite likely that he will be retained for their upcoming trip to Blackpool after this week's international break.

Baxter himself revealed after that game that the club have not yet spoken to him about his future past this summer, but insisted that there is only one place that he wants to be playing his football in the foreseeable future.

“I have not been communicated by the club in any way, but to be fair, I think it's just a case of let's try and focus on each game as it comes. I do get lots of messages saying, ‘Why didn't you sign a contract?’ But that hasn’t been the case," he told the Bolton News.

“I love it at this football club. I absolutely love it here. I think me being put on the bench was a selection issue, towards the end of Ian Evatt's reign. But it was nothing to do with a contract. I absolutely love it here. I love living up here.

“I bought a house up here. I love this area. I love playing in front of these supporters. Today was, like I say, the first five minutes. It was special being back on that pitch. Although I played for Hull City in the Championship, it's not like playing here.

“The supporters are brilliant. Last season was the most enjoyable season I've ever had in football. I loved every second of it, at least until the last game. I love it here. I want to be here. And I want everyone to know that.

“I've got no doubt that with the situation we're in now and the positivity around the place that I want to be playing in the Championship next season. That's my aim. That's my goal. That's what gets me out of bed every day. Hopefully, we will do that.”

Baxter is clearly determined to help take the Trotters back to the second-tier for the first time since 2019, and his quotes have the feel of a player that may have potentially been told that the number one spot is now his to lose for the remainder of the campaign.

If he is able to nail down a starting spot under Schumacher, and play a key role in their promotion through the play-offs, then it seems like a foregone conclusion that he will be kept on past this summer.

Regardless of their league status, Wanderers fans and Schumacher alike will want players who love playing for the club representing them each week, and Baxter is clearly one of those. It feels like the right decision would be to extend his contract, but it remains to be seen what happens over the coming months.