Southampton player issues honest thoughts on Bolton Wanderers future | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are preparing for their first-leg tie against Barnsley this Saturday at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The Trotters come into this game in rich form after ending the regular season with a 3-2 win over Bristol Rovers.

That victory saw striker Dan Nlundulu claim his first goal for Bolton after joining the club in January.

Who is Dan Nlundulu?

Nlundulu joined Bolton in the January transfer window on a loan deal until the end of the season from Premier League side Southampton.

He spent the first half of the 2022/23 campaign on loan at fellow League One side Cheltenham Town.

Since joining the Trotters, Nlundulu has played 13 times for the club in the league, but at the start of his loan, it was believed that he wasn’t up to the level of fitness that Bolton required, so it took him a while to get into the swing of things.

However, the striker has now featured in the last eight games and contributed significantly to the win over Bristol Rovers at the weekend.

The 24-year-old came through the academy at Chelsea before leaving them to join Southampton in 2013.

The forward has been there ever since, with him having loan spells at Lincoln City, Cheltenham, and now Bolton.

Nlundulu’s contract at Southampton still runs until the summer of 2024, but with the club’s relegation to the Championship looking likely now, it is unclear what the future holds for the player.

Nlundulu on Ian Evatt and a possible Bolton stay

It may not have been a loan spell that has gone according to plan in terms of goals, but Nlundulu has played a part in Bolton reaching the play-offs.

The forward is keen to repay the faith that Ian Evatt has shown in the player, and while he remains focused on the play-offs, he isn’t ruling out a possible permanent move.

He told The Bolton News: “Bolton are such a huge club, the fans have been amazing, and I think this squad can go and do it in the play-offs, I really do. I felt like this was my next step, and this is paying off.

“As for my future, right now I am thinking about the next game, not the summer, or what might happen after that. In my head there are play-offs and a chance to get into the Championship, after that, we have conversations.

“This is probably the best gaffer I have worked with, even though I haven’t necessarily had the game time I would have wanted since I have been here, things like training and the amount of detail he goes into, it is honestly phenomenal.

“I have loved working with him, but it is down to me now to prove to him that I am the right man for the job.

“We are confident going into the play-offs. It will be a hard week, we will need to focus, but if we can do that then we can get the right result on Saturday.”

If Bolton were to seal promotion to the Premier League, then you could argue their chances of keeping Nlundulu on a permanent basis strengthening significantly. But in the meantime the forward will hope he can play a big part in that promotion happening.