Bolton Wanderers may rue not joining Plymouth Argyle in striker transfer race | OneFootball

Lorent Tolaj has signed for Plymouth Argyle from Port Vale, and it is a move that Bolton Wanderers may rue not rivalling the Pilgrims for.

Bolton Wanderers have been very busy this summer and it looks as though the Trotters will continue to be very busy in the final few days of the summer transfer window, and they may well regret not having rivalled Plymouth Argyle for striker Lorent Tolaj.

Steven Schumacher has got his way so far this summer, with Bolton embarking upon a fairly major overhaul of the squad as they seek to rebuild and turn themselves back into promotion contenders in League One.

The Whites underwhelmed last year and have since several key first-teamers depart, with Schumacher able to transform the squad with the help of new Sporting Director Fergal Harkin and Head of

Recruitment Jimmy Dickinson.

Wanderers do, though, still have one glaring area of the pitch to fill and that is up-front, and there it may well be that they end up living to regret allowing Lorent Tolaj to sign for third-tier rivals Plymouth.

Bolton should have made a move for Lorent Tolaj

Last week, former Aldershot Town striker Lorent Tolaj completed a £1.2 million move from Port Vale to Plymouth Argyle after an excellent campaign for the Valiants in which he scored 14 goals to earn Darren Moore’s side automatic promotion from League Two.

The 6 ft 0 in 23-year-old, formerly of Sion and Brighton and Hove Albion, has an enormous amount of potential, perhaps best shown by the fact that the renowned scouring and recruitment structure at Brighton sought to bring him in in 2022.

That potential remains and a permanent move to Aldershot allowed him to thrive, and he has already seemingly shown he is capable of making the step up League One football, too, with some impressive performances for Vale so far this season.

Plymouth have endured a very difficult start to the campaign and the potential of Tolaj will at least get Pilgrims supporters excited that he could spearhead their turnaround under the management of Tom Cleverley.

The former Switzerland youth international still has some proving to do, but he has already shown an ability to play a variety of styles with a more possession-based style at Aldershot showcasing more ‘fox in the box’ capabilities, and a more varied style of football and an all-round game on display at Vale.

Bolton desperate for a striker this summer

Wanderers have brought in Mason Burstow on loan from Hull City and Sam Dalby on a free transfer from Wrexham and, whilst the former has certainly started well, another option up-front is wanted.

Johnny Kenny remains a reported target for the club, but Bolton have been chasing the Irishman all summer, and with just a few days left, the club and Schumacher will be sweating.

The lack of efficiency and a clinical edge in the final third has prevented Bolton from getting off to a fast and strong start in League One this season, with just one victory in their opening six matches across all competitions.

Despite that, Wanderers have had the most shots of anyone in League One this season, but only four of their 84 efforts have gone in; and there has also been a frustration tendency to be similarly ineffective at the back, conceding the fewest shots in the entire division, too, but five of the 23 shots they have conceded have gone in.

Performance level, from that perspective, seems reasonable for Bolton, and results must surely be about to turn, but there is a clear need for a more clinical edge at both ends.

Wanderers will be searching for a striker to help with one part of that game this week, and it could be a frustrating push in the final week of the window – and Lorent Tolaj could have been the ideal man to finish things off for a Bolton side seemingly missing that major final piece.