The 5 Bolton Wanderers players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

The five Bolton players that are most under pressure to show their worth this summer ahead of the new season.

Bolton Wanderers missed out on promotion back to the Championship in heartbreaking fashion back in May when Oxford United comfortably defeated 2-0 at Wembley Stadium in the League One play-off final.

There was a lot of talk and criticism aimed at the players and manager in the aftermath by supporters but, after nearly six weeks of pretty much silence, Ian Evatt finally spoke last week.

He has claimed he is the best man to take Bolton forward and whilst that may remain true, the fact of the matter is that promotion next season is an absolute imperative in what is already looking like an extremely competitive and strong League One with some big spending clubs.

There are some notable players that will need to perform well in pre-season and in the opening couple of months of this season in order to get Wanderers’ supporters back on side.

This is a look at those players that need their careers at the Toughsheet Community Stadium to either reignite or simply get off the ground once and for all.

1 Ricardo Santos

In the aftermath of Bolton Wanderers’ play-off final loss, many supporters were heavily critical of club captain Ricardo Santos with the Portuguese centre-back coming under intense scrutiny. Since returning from injury in February, the former Peterborough United man has struggled to rediscover his best form.

His best form has been described as ‘the best defender outside of the Premier League’ by Ian Evatt but the 29-year-old has been lax both on the ball and defensively for quite a while now. Evatt has confirmed that he will be staying put at the club and there will be a requirement that he shows some much-needed improvement and revitalised form in pre-season.

2 Gethin Jones

The vice-captain of the club will also be under the microscope this summer with Gethin Jones’ place in the team under threat now that George Johnston has recovered from an ACL injury that saw him miss the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign. Like Santos, Jones has also been a part of the Bolton setup throughout Evatt’s reign.

Australia international Jones, who joined on a free transfer four years ago, has played at full-back and wing-back on either side but has found a role in the back three more accustomed to his skillset. However, a lack of precision in the pass and often defensive lapses in concentration has also seen him become something of a lightning rod for Wanderers supporters.

3 Randell Williams

With the departures of Nathanael Ogbeta and Zac Ashworth at the end of their respective loan spells with the club, the only remaining out-and-out left wing-back at the club is Randell Williams. After joining from Hull City in January 2023, Williams has shown plenty of glimpses of quality and has put in some game-changing performances, too.

However, his fitness concerns and general consistency in terms of performances have always been a fairly major issue for supporters and Ian Evatt to properly trust him. With the likelihood being that Wanderers bring in another wing-back, Williams will have to be on the top of his game this summer as well as showing his ability to stay fit for a lengthy period of time.

4 Aaron Morley

One player who may actually find himself out the door at the end of this transfer window if his pre-season does not live up to expectations would be Aaron Morley. After joining for a small fee from Rochdale in January 2022, the former Bolton academy prospect started life back at the club extremely well for 18 months or so.

However, the central midfielder struggled for minutes last season with Josh Sheehan preferred in the deeper lying role and then the likes of Paris Maghoma, Kyle Dempsey, and George Thomason ahead of him further forward. Maghoma’s departure presents an opportunity for Morley but a strong pre-season is required from the 24-year-old.

5 Victor Adeboyejo

With Turkish clubs once again being linked to the Nigerian forward, Victor Adeboyejo has some critics within the Bolton fanbase and that seems extremely harsh with the forward notching 24 League One goals in his last two seasons and reaching double figures for Wanderers last year before a season-ending injury in early March.

Prior to that injury in March, Adeboyejo’s all-round performances had begun to really improve, especially in both matches of their FA Cup third round tie against Premier League side Luton Town, but some question marks will remain about his consistency and, like he did last year with five goals in his first three appearances, will need to hit the ground running this time around.