Time is ticking on Bolton Wanderers stalwart being retained by Steven Schumacher | OneFootball

Ricardo Santos' contract at Bolton is up this summer and he faces a race against time to prove that he is worthy of a renewal.

There is less than three months of the campaign to go in the EFL and plenty of clubs will be making well underway in terms of squad planning for next season with decisions to be made on contract offers and potential summer transfer window targets.

Bolton Wanderers, who are chasing a top six finish once again in League One under new boss Steven Schumacher, have quite a few big decisions to make in the next few months and perhaps none more so than the future of former captain Ricardo Santos.

The former Barnet defender has been with the Trotters since the summer of 2020 but, after half a decade at the club, could well be departing as a free agent with his contract set to run out in June.

With a new manager in place following the appointment of Schumacher last month to replace Ian Evatt in the dugout, the pressure is very much on Santos if he wants to earn a new deal at the Lancastrian club.

Ricardo Santos the Bolton stalwart

Since joining on a free transfer from National League side Barnet over four and a half years ago, Santos has gone on to establish himself as a key man for Bolton, helping them gain automatic promotion from League Two at the first attempt at the end of his first season.

He became club captain following the departure of Antoni Sarcevic in October 2021 and was instrumental in allowing Bolton to shift from a back four to a back three in the third-tier.

He lifted silverware at Wembley Stadium in the 2022/23 campaign as Bolton defeated Plymouth Argyle by four goals to nil in the EFL Trophy final and also led Bolton out at Wembley last season, too, before being heavily criticised for his performance in a 2-0 defeat to Oxford United in the League One play-off final.

During his impressive time at the club, Santos has been named in the PFA Team of the Year at the end of each season at Wanderers; once in League Two and then three times in League One – as well as winning the Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year award for the 2020/21 campaign.

After having played just 169 professional games for Dagenham and Redbridge, Billericay Town, Thurrock, Peterborough United and Barnet before his move to Bolton, he has since made 206 appearances for the club.

Bolton are moving into a new era

The man that has backed Santos the most during his career has to have been Bolton’s now departed former boss Evatt, who has described Santos as being the best defender outside of the Premier League and said he was as good as any defender outside of the Championship, despite Bolton struggling in League Two.

Things had taken a turn before Evatt’s departure and Santos, whether stripped or through resignation, stopped being Bolton captain in September, replaced by George Thomason.

That separation from an immediate and prominent role of responsibility as well as heavy criticism from supporters due to a major dip in his performance level in the last 12 months or so has combined with fairly persistent and common injury issues.

With the Portuguese centre-back turning 30 over the summer and injured once again at the start of the Schumacher reign, he faces a race against time to prove himself to be at the right fitness and technical level to earn a contract renewal at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

Despite the club's goal remaining the same, this is a new era at Bolton as Schumacher looks to shape a future in the Championship. Who he takes with him on that journey remains to be seen, Santos included.