Ian Evatt confirms Dion Charles' situation at Bolton as Stoke and Watford circle | OneFootball

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Bolton Wanderers have made an excellent start to the 2023/24 season as they look to bounce back from last season’s disappointment.

The Trotters had a very good campaign last time out, as they battled at the top end of League One for the majority of the season, finishing in the play-off places. However, they couldn’t get past Barnsley over two legs and therefore have another campaign in the third tier.

However, Bolton have put that disappointment behind them, as they have started the season with four wins out of four.

Three have come in League One, with the latest being against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, while they have also made it into the second round of the Carabao Cup and face Middlesbrough at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

That impressive start, plus their accomplishments from last season, haven’t gone unnoticed, as their star player, Dion Charles, is attracting interest from the Championship, interest that hasn’t flourished into anything as of yet, according to manager Ian Evatt.

Charles has been with the Lancashire outfit since the January 2022 transfer window, when he joined from Accrington Stanley. During his time with Stanley and now Bolton, Charles has become one of the most prolific strikers in the league.

Last season, Charles scored 21 goals in all competitions, and 16 of those came in the league. The forward was crucial in helping Bolton reach the League One play-offs, and they will hope he can be again this season.

Charles got his tally going for this campaign, as he netted twice in the recent win over Cheltenham Town.

But it seems that before the close of the transfer window, Bolton may be about to field some enquires into the availability of their forward.

According to TEAMtalk, Championship duo Watford and Stoke City are among a number of Championship clubs considering a move for Bolton’s Dion Charles.

The Northern Ireland international still has two years left to run on his current contract, but according to this report, Bolton are said to be bracing themselves for incoming bids.

What has Ian Evatt said about the future of Dion Charles?

Despite the talk of interest from the Championship, Bolton manager Ian Evatt has stated there has been no concrete interest in the forward, and he hasn’t seen any indication from Charles that he wants to leave.

Evatt told The Bolton News: ““I don’t get any sense from Dion that he wishes to leave this football club. He loves being here and his relationship with the club and the fans is excellent.”

“Obviously players and managers are always linked at this time of year, especially when they are doing well. I wouldn’t be surprised to see our players linked or perhaps bid for, but we’ll always make the best decision for Bolton Wanderers. Right now, there is nothing to speak of.”

Despite some his players being linked with moves away, Evatt isn’t worried and knows the club can act quickly should anything happen.

He continued: “When you do things right and your players are performing well then you are always going to have stories and links.

“For me and for us it is about being smart with player trading. We have to make sure that nobody is irreplaceable and that we do have other options just in case something happens.

“In the middle of a transfer window things can progress overnight, we found that out with George last week.

“Myself and Chris work very hard on planning for the future. It’s great that our players are being linked with other clubs, especially those higher up, because it means that they are doing pretty well, and the team is doing pretty well.

“It should be a celebration, not something we worry about.”