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Neil Lennon is planning to “go global” as he hunts for bargains this summer.
In an effort to make the most of tight finances at the Macron Stadium the Wanderers boss has spent the last few weeks scanning the European leagues in countries such as Norway, Spain, France and Portugal for talent.
Although Lennon has made progress on the home front, with a deal for striker Gary Madine agreed, and advanced talks also taking place with Rotherham United defender Craig Morgan, he has also personally made checks on several players on the continent.
French wing-back Vincent Bessat has been watched, as has Spanish striker Sergi Enrich, although both players are also attracting interest from elsewhere in the Championship and do not currently look like priorities.
Lennon may well be biding his time until he knows exactly what budget he will have next season – as talk of outside investment continues to buzz around the club.
But the Northern Irishman is confident he can unearth some gems regardless of the cash he has to play with and is keen to see first-hand what his targets can do.
“It’s challenging but it’s good because you know that if you find the right player then the rewards are great,” he said.
“It takes hard work and you have to do the groundwork sometimes. It’s important as a manager that you can go and have a look yourself.
“It’s not always feasible during the season but the one good thing about finishing early is that other leagues are still playing, so you can get out and watch players live and have a good idea if he’s the type you need.”
Lennon boasted a good track record at his former club Celtic, unearthing unheralded gems like Emilio Izaguirre (from Honduras), Victor Wanyama (Belgium) and Mikael Lustig (Norway).
And though Wanderers have veered away from the foreign route over the last couple of summers, the manager feels there is scope to add more of an international flavour.
“We’ve had some fantastic British players here at Bolton down the years but also some great Scandinavian players or African players, the game is global now, I learned that in my time at Celtic,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.
“I also learned you can go out and find players for less money who can make you better.
“That model is something I want to implement here.”
Source
In an effort to make the most of tight finances at the Macron Stadium the Wanderers boss has spent the last few weeks scanning the European leagues in countries such as Norway, Spain, France and Portugal for talent.
Although Lennon has made progress on the home front, with a deal for striker Gary Madine agreed, and advanced talks also taking place with Rotherham United defender Craig Morgan, he has also personally made checks on several players on the continent.
French wing-back Vincent Bessat has been watched, as has Spanish striker Sergi Enrich, although both players are also attracting interest from elsewhere in the Championship and do not currently look like priorities.
Lennon may well be biding his time until he knows exactly what budget he will have next season – as talk of outside investment continues to buzz around the club.
But the Northern Irishman is confident he can unearth some gems regardless of the cash he has to play with and is keen to see first-hand what his targets can do.
“It’s challenging but it’s good because you know that if you find the right player then the rewards are great,” he said.
“It takes hard work and you have to do the groundwork sometimes. It’s important as a manager that you can go and have a look yourself.
“It’s not always feasible during the season but the one good thing about finishing early is that other leagues are still playing, so you can get out and watch players live and have a good idea if he’s the type you need.”
Lennon boasted a good track record at his former club Celtic, unearthing unheralded gems like Emilio Izaguirre (from Honduras), Victor Wanyama (Belgium) and Mikael Lustig (Norway).
And though Wanderers have veered away from the foreign route over the last couple of summers, the manager feels there is scope to add more of an international flavour.
“We’ve had some fantastic British players here at Bolton down the years but also some great Scandinavian players or African players, the game is global now, I learned that in my time at Celtic,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.
“I also learned you can go out and find players for less money who can make you better.
“That model is something I want to implement here.”
Source
