"More to come" - Bolton Wanderers urged not to sell attacker in January | OneFootball

Carlos Mendes Gomes has missed the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign so far, but FLW's Bolton fan pundit urges the club not to cash in over the winter.

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 improved as the season has gone on.

The 2024/25 League One campaign got off to a disappointing start from a Bolton point of view. They won their first game of the season away to Leyton Orient but then went on a four-game winless streak, which included a horrifying 4-0 loss at home to Huddersfield Town.

That run of poor results at the start of the season saw the Trotters float around the drop zone in League One, but they have since turned things around rather rapidly and they now find themselves within touching distance of the play-off places.

Bolton now sit 8th in the table, level on points with Barnsley and Reading, who have a better goal difference. They have won three of their last five league games, but are prone to some very bad results, which became evident in their humiliating 5-0 defeat to Stockport County.

That said, they have come a long way since the start of the season and will still feel they've got a great chance of securing promotion this term.

Ian Evatt has a squad of very talented players at his disposal, but there is one player that is yet to feature whatsoever this season who the club has to make a big decision on.

Carlos Mendes Gomes' situation

Carlos Mendes Gomes signed for Bolton in the summer of 2023 after impressing at Fleetwood Town in the same division. The forward has had it tough during his time with the Trotters, as in February he suffered a ruptured Achilles; an injury he is yet to return from 10 months later.

The forward made just eight starts in all competitions last season, but the Bolton faithful certainly saw glimpses of talent, as he managed to score four goals and assist two. Most of his appearances came from the bench, but he was unable to enjoy a consecutive run of starts.

His ability was on display in September 2023 when he scored a goal and assisted a further two in Bolton's 3-0 win over Salford in the EFL Trophy.

Sadly, he has been on the sidelines for a lengthy period of time now, and his future at the club is up in the air. It was reported by Bolton News that Mendes Gomes was making fast progress and had been phased back into training, but that was reported back in September and there has still been no sign of him.

It begs the question whether the Trotters should cash in on the versatile forward in January, or give him time to prove himself.

Bolton fan urges the club to be patient

As mentioned, the Trotters have seen glimpses of Mendes Gomes, whose versatility would be incredibly useful. FLW's Bolton Wanderers fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, believes that the forward could still make a difference to the side and that Bolton should hold off from cashing in on him.

He said: "On Carlos Mendes Gomes, that is an area of the pitch that could really do with support. That sort of attacking type of midfielder that can play out wide or centrally.

"During the game that we most recently had, we were looking to make substitutions, and with Kyle Dempsey out injured, that was a real weakness for us.

"I really think there's more to come from Carlos Mendes Gomes, and I would be really reluctant for us to part ways with him without seeing what he can actually do for Bolton.