Bolton Wanderers leading the way in League One for squad retention

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Wanderers lead the way in League One in terms of squad retention following the conclusion of the summer transfer window.

The Whites made nine signings over the summer, including the likes of Josh Sheehan, Dapo Afolayan, George Johnston and Elias Kachunga.

According to data published by football analyst Ben Mayhew, Wanderers have retained a higher percentage of last season’s squad than any other side in the third tier.

The Whites have retained 79.7% of their squad from last term, which is significantly higher than second-placed Rotherham United (67.2%).

At the other end of the list, Ipswich Town retained just 30.6% of last season’s squad after bringing in 19 fresh faces this summer.

Doncaster Rovers (32.8%) and Morecambe (37.7%) were also among the lowest figures in League One.

The overall average for squad retention in the third tier is 62.6%, with over 300 signings taking place in total.

Preston North End, Peterborough United, Hull City, Millwall and Sutton United were the only sides in the Football League with higher figures than Wanderers.

Ian Evatt’s men are back in League One action on Monday, September 6 when they welcome Burton Albion to the UniBol (KO 8pm).

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Retaining the players from the League 2 campaign for a League 1 campaign is a good thing?
Maybe it's just a reflection on our finances i.e. we had little choice in the matter.
It's not that we couldn't improve the squad.
Liam Gordon for instance. He was one of several players who weren't up to scratch last night. This is the panning he got in one performance analysis site...and it makes grim reading:

"The 22-year-old defender endured a difficult night as he struggled down the left flank. Although neither of the conceded goals were solely his fault, both of Port Vale’s strikes in the first half came down his side, with Gordon tucked in too narrow to prevent the cross coming into the box and then standing still in the six-yard box to allow the player to fire a shot past Matt Gilks.
However, it was his general play, aside from the goals conceded, that will have left Evatt feeling let down by Gordon’s performance.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], he lost 73% of his duels on the pitch as he won one of four ground duels and two of seven aerial battles. This suggests that he was not strong enough to hold off his opponents and come out on top in physical battles, allowing Port Vale to retain or win back possession of the ball.
He [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] zero tackles and made one interception in the 90 minutes, whilst being dribbled past once and completing one clearance. This further emphasises his lack of quality in the defensive third and how he was unable to show Evatt that he is a competent defender who can be relied upon in League One matches.
On the ball, Gordon did not fare much better either. He lost possession of the ball [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] times and was successful with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] crossing/long ball attempts.
This suggests that he lacked the ability on the ball to make an impact going forward, which is another example of how he let Evatt down with this poor display.

Perhaps this is why it was rumoured that we'd renewed our interest in getting Ben Jackson back? - another player from our League 2 campaign.