The transfer failure that signalled the end of Bolton Wanderers’ Premier League era: View | OneFootball

The signing of Marvin Sordell in the winter transfer window of 2012 signalled the end of Bolton Wanderers' 11-year stay in the top-flight.

Between 2001 and 2012, Bolton Wanderers became a staple of the Premier League. With four successive top eight finishes and two UEFA Cup qualifications as well as a League Cup final in the middle of those 11 years, Wanderers became a part of the fabric of the ‘Barclays’ as many call it.

With Sam Allardyce’s ‘Galacticos’, which included the likes of Fernando Hierro, Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, and Nicolas Anelka as well as stalwarts and favourites of many a neutral such as Jussi Jaaskelainen, Gary Speed, Ivan Campo, Kevin Nolan, Stelios Giannakopoulos and Kevin Davies; Bolton lived the high life.

However, in the January transfer window of 2012, they made several mistakes that ultimately cost them their top-flight status and one signing, in particular, signalled the end of their stay with the big boys.

The signing of then England U21 international Marvin Sordell for a fee believed to be around £3 million from Championship side Watford will be one that haunts Owen Coyle and Bolton Wanderers supporters.

What Sordell followed at Bolton Wanderers

Even after the so-called ‘golden era’ of the ‘Big Sam’ days at Bolton, there were still memorable moments and seasons. In fact, the year before Sordell joined the club, Bolton had reached the FA Cup semi-final and spent the vast majority of the campaign in the top six.

That season, Kevin Davies had earned his first-ever call-up to England whilst the likes of Ivan Klasnic, Johan Elmander, Rodrigo, and Daniel Sturridge provided remarkable attacking depth for Coyle’s side.

That summer, Coyle lost Elmander on a free transfer to Galatasaray with both Rodrigo and Sturridge returning to their parent clubs. The arrival of David N’Gog from Liverpool did not pay off and Sordell had to perform the task of being the goalscorer that would fire a flailing Trotters side away from the bottom three and the relegation places.

In the window he joined, Gary Cahill left for Chelsea and earlier that season Bolton had lost Lee Chung-yong to a leg-break with Stuart Holden still out and Matty Taylor sold to West Ham United in the summer.

A steady stable staple of the Premier League had the guts ripped out of it, which would only be made worse by the cardiac arrest suffered by Fabrice Muamba in March.

The pressure was piled on Sordell to be the saviour of a club that had been in the league for the last 11 seasons with a catalogue of stars previously taking on the mantle now placed upon him.

What Sordell became at Bolton Wanderers

Prior to joining Wanderers, Sordell was a sought-after up-and-coming talent after scoring 12 goals in his first full season at Watford the year before and then notching eight before the January transfer deadline came round in 2011/12.

Having played for both England’s U20 and U23 sides, his pedigree and promise was then reflected in his selection for Team GB’s Olympic football side at London 2012, where he made three appearances without scoring.

However, his career at Bolton almost turned him, actually quite sadly, into a bit of a laughing stock with only a slight flourish of form under Dougie Freedman towards the back end of the 2012/13 campaign the only respite he got from underperformance.

In 29 appearances for the club, he scored eight goals but half of those did come in a mini-FA Cup run during the 2012/13 season.

At the end of the 2012/13 season, he was loaned out to Charlton Athletic and never played for the club again before moving on to Burnley, Colchester United, Coventry City, Burton Albion and Northampton Town and then retiring in 2019 at the age of 28.

It would be unfair to suggest that Sordell was the cause or even close to the cause of Bolton’s relegation from the Premier League, and this piece is not saying that, but rather that his fairly lazily scouted signing was a representative of the malaise and chaos that had caused Bolton to fall from heights they may never reach again.

Wanderers have spent 78 seasons of their 150-year existence in the top-flight of English football and the arrival of Marvin Sordell was the signal of the end of their most recent stint.