Bolton Wanderers: Transfer reveal on former supporters' favourite | OneFootball

Ian Evatt previously admitted that would be tough to get this deal done.

Brentford midfielder Paris Maghoma is reportedly not a player that Bolton Wanderers have made an approach for this summer.

This news is coming from the Bolton News, following the rumours and speculation that had built on social media over the last few days about a potential move for the Bees loanee, who became a fan favourite last season.

Maghoma's last game for Wanderers was the League One play-off final, in which he was forced off early in the game due to an injury.

A 2-0 loss to Oxford United, courtesy of a brace from Josh Murphy, put back the club's hopes of being back in the Championship for at least another season.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, who wasn't involved in the match at Wembley and has since left Bolton, said that the pressure of the game was too much for his teammates.

The pain of the defeat hit manager Ian Evatt hard, so much so that he considered leaving his position at the club.

After his temporary spell ended, Maghoma put up a post on Instagram that thanked the club and the fans for what they did for him during his time at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

The long message was ended with: "Bolton, you have a very special place in my heart. I’ve made memories and friends that I will cherish for life. Once a Wanderer, always a Wanderer."

That post has since been deleted, leading some supporters to think that that wasn't going to be his final goodbye to the club.

However, the latest reports don't suggest that this will be the case, as the midfielder looks set to stay with Brentford, with no offer being made by Bolton for the midfielder, as things stand.

Ian Evatt's position on a potential Paris Maghoma permanent deal

The 42-year-old admitted after the play-off final loss that it was going to be tough for them to bring back the 23-year-old for the 2024/25 campaign.

"It is going to be difficult to sign Paris now we are stuck in League One," Evatt told the Bolton News. "That is how it is. We are thankful for him, thankful for what he has achieved this season, and we wish him well."

They have signed Crawley Town promotion winner Klaidi Lolos, who could help to plug the gap that has been left by Maghoma, but Lolos tends to operate in a more advanced position than his Brentford counterpart.

Lolos was their third signing of the summer. He followed defender Chris Forino and goalkeeper Luke Southwood through the doors of the Toughsheet.

Bolton have missed their best opportunity to get out of League One

The last two seasons have seen Evatt's Wanderers miss out on the top two, but clinch a play-off berth. The earliest of those two campaigns saw them lose to Barnsley in the semi-final.

The latest version saw the pair of clubs meet again, except the result came out the other way round.

They finished third in the league; their final opponents came in fifth. Bolton were the clear favourites, but they just didn't turn up when it mattered most.

Now the league is much stronger than it was. Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United are all positioning themselves to be near the top. Even the additions from League Two of Stockport County, Wrexham, Mansfield and Crawley, those first two in particular, have upped the ante.

Combine that with the already existing competition from Peterborough United, the Tykes, Lincoln City, Charlton Athletic, Blackpool; League One is going to be an absolute dogfight.

Last season was Bolton's best chance, and they are going to have to do extremely well to make up for it this time around.