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If Wanderers manage to tempt Adam Le Fondre back to the Macron Stadium next season, Neil Lennon believes he could have a 20-goal striker on his hands.
The on-loan Cardiff City star is now level pegging with Craig Davies on seven goals with three games left to claim the Golden Boot award.
Not many would back against him, including the Whites boss who fought hard to get the 28-year-old to the club in January ahead of Championship rivals Huddersfield Town.
Le Fondre has been a success since leaving behind an unhappy chapter in his career at Cardiff but faces a return to South Wales in the summer with no guarantee of regular football under Russell Slade.
Lennon hinted that he would like to bring him back to Bolton and believes he could improve the striker’s game, given the opportunity.
“He’s got seven goals for us now but God knows how many he’d have if he’d been with us from the start,” he told The Bolton News. But having said that, I think he can get better.
“There are aspects of his game that are a little bit off the pace at times.
“For example, Barry Bannan hit a beauty of a ball in the first minute against Charlton and you’re thinking ‘touch and finish’ and if he’s a little sharper, it’s a goal. He got one and he’s always there or thereabouts, he’s a very good striker.
“But if he is with us next season – which may or may not happen – then we will endeavour to make him better in general but definitely get more goals out of him.”
Le Fondre revealed he would be open to a return to Bolton after scoring twice against Millwall last month – but much will depend on the financial situation both here and in South Wales.
“I have had no contact from Cardiff so I don’t know what will happen in the summer,” he said. “But I am enjoying my football.
“I think the gaffer would like to bring me here. If you score goals, the fans love you and I want to be loved.
“I am a striker and strikers are meant to be heroes. That’s what I want to be.”
Meanwhile, Mark Davies’s return to action after a five-month lay-off has whet Lennon’s appetite for next season.
The Wanderers boss will ease the midfielder into regular football over the next three games against Brentford, Bournemouth and Birmingham City but wants him fully fit by the time his players reconvene in the summer.
“He’s been out for a while and there’s a bit of rust there,” he said. “We were reluctant to throw him in early because he hasn’t played much football.
“But it’s great to see him back. He’s a fantastic asset to have and we’ve missed him.
“Hopefully he can play some part in the remainder of our games so we can get him full fit for next season. He’s a quality player and if we can get a few players in and around him, we’ll be a lot more potent going forward.”
Even though Wanderers’ progress slowed significantly during February and March, only nine other teams have taken more points since the day Lennon walked through the doors.
And Lennon is confident that if his side can avoid bad luck with injuries which has plagued them since the New Year, next season will be a much stronger showing in the Championship.
“We’re looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” he said. “We’ve reached the 50-point mark and it’s taken us a bit longer than we’d have expected. But there have been mitigating circumstances.
“When you see what’s coming back player-wise, it whets your whistle.
“You look at what’s out there on the pitch – Adam Bogdan, Tim Ream, Matt Mills, Neil Danns, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Emile Heskey, it’s the core of a decent squad, I think.”
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The on-loan Cardiff City star is now level pegging with Craig Davies on seven goals with three games left to claim the Golden Boot award.
Not many would back against him, including the Whites boss who fought hard to get the 28-year-old to the club in January ahead of Championship rivals Huddersfield Town.
Le Fondre has been a success since leaving behind an unhappy chapter in his career at Cardiff but faces a return to South Wales in the summer with no guarantee of regular football under Russell Slade.
Lennon hinted that he would like to bring him back to Bolton and believes he could improve the striker’s game, given the opportunity.
“He’s got seven goals for us now but God knows how many he’d have if he’d been with us from the start,” he told The Bolton News. But having said that, I think he can get better.
“There are aspects of his game that are a little bit off the pace at times.
“For example, Barry Bannan hit a beauty of a ball in the first minute against Charlton and you’re thinking ‘touch and finish’ and if he’s a little sharper, it’s a goal. He got one and he’s always there or thereabouts, he’s a very good striker.
“But if he is with us next season – which may or may not happen – then we will endeavour to make him better in general but definitely get more goals out of him.”
Le Fondre revealed he would be open to a return to Bolton after scoring twice against Millwall last month – but much will depend on the financial situation both here and in South Wales.
“I have had no contact from Cardiff so I don’t know what will happen in the summer,” he said. “But I am enjoying my football.
“I think the gaffer would like to bring me here. If you score goals, the fans love you and I want to be loved.
“I am a striker and strikers are meant to be heroes. That’s what I want to be.”
Meanwhile, Mark Davies’s return to action after a five-month lay-off has whet Lennon’s appetite for next season.
The Wanderers boss will ease the midfielder into regular football over the next three games against Brentford, Bournemouth and Birmingham City but wants him fully fit by the time his players reconvene in the summer.
“He’s been out for a while and there’s a bit of rust there,” he said. “We were reluctant to throw him in early because he hasn’t played much football.
“But it’s great to see him back. He’s a fantastic asset to have and we’ve missed him.
“Hopefully he can play some part in the remainder of our games so we can get him full fit for next season. He’s a quality player and if we can get a few players in and around him, we’ll be a lot more potent going forward.”
Even though Wanderers’ progress slowed significantly during February and March, only nine other teams have taken more points since the day Lennon walked through the doors.
And Lennon is confident that if his side can avoid bad luck with injuries which has plagued them since the New Year, next season will be a much stronger showing in the Championship.
“We’re looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” he said. “We’ve reached the 50-point mark and it’s taken us a bit longer than we’d have expected. But there have been mitigating circumstances.
“When you see what’s coming back player-wise, it whets your whistle.
“You look at what’s out there on the pitch – Adam Bogdan, Tim Ream, Matt Mills, Neil Danns, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Emile Heskey, it’s the core of a decent squad, I think.”
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