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Wanderers may need to take some risks on a smaller budget this summer but are their current transfer moves a step too far?
Neil Lennon pledged to create a more robust squad this season and set out his stall nicely with the capture of Gary Madine – a no-nonsense centre forward eager to prove his critics wrong after leaving Sheffield Wednesday.
It might not have been the Hollywood signing fans have been clamouring for, but it was certainly a start.
Once Adam Bogdan’s future became clear, Ben Amos was on board. His impending arrival has met with almost unanimous approval after last season’s excellent loan spell.
Recently, however, the club has registered interest in some surprising names – not least ex-Blackburn Rovers skipper David Dunn, who started just three games down the road at Ewood Park last season.
Putting aside his dyed-in-the-wool connections to the Whites’ Lancashire rivals, the 35-year-old hardly seems to fit the dynamic breed of central midfielder that Lennon seemed to seek last season.
If Jay Spearing and Medo Kamara were not considered ‘his type’ then regardless of Dunn’s qualities in the dressing room or his blossoming coaching career, you would have to place the story in the basket marked ‘plain bizarre.’
What may come as a relief to some is that at present, Wanderers’ interest in Dunn looks to be a passing one. While the interest may give a little indication that Lennon feels such experience and character is lacking in his squad, any move is still in its infancy.
No contract has been discussed, nor squad number earmarked. Given what happened last time Bolton looked into signing him, absolutely nothing should be taken for granted.
But another name which has circulated in the last few months, Wilson Palacios, played even fewer games than Dunn last season.
The Honduras international has featured heavily for his country in the last 12 months but played precisely zero games for Stoke City in the final year of his contract at the Britannia Stadium.
While a popular figure behind the scenes at the Potters, his £8million move from Tottenham has been little short of a disaster.
Injuries have mounted up to such an extent that many question whether he can now hack the pace of English football – but nevertheless, it seems he will join Lennon’s squad for a trial when they travel to Austria in just over a week, alongside a few other Europe-based hopefuls looking to make an impression.
In his prime Palacios seems exactly the kind of fearsome competitor Lennon has been looking for but at nearly 31 and with so little playing time in the last year, he would be another big gamble.
Whether we can read anything into MLS club Philadelphia Union passing on the chance to sign him last week after a short trial remains to be seen.
Wanderers look more likely to shed players over the coming weeks rather than sign them – with the names of Conor Wilkinson, Sanmi Odelusi, Tom Eaves, Rob Hall and even Liam Feeney doing the rounds.
Many are looking at July 1 for inspiration, hoping the club can pull out a surprise signing that has gone under the radar and revive some of the positivity which has flagged among supporters just recently.
While the likes of Max Clayton, Zach Clough, David Wheater and Mark Davies will be available again at the start of the season, the manager is no fool, and knows his squad is some way from being able to challenge at the top end of the Championship.
Lennon forecast a busy summer but as he prepares to welcome his squad back into training on Monday there is precious little evidence to support his claim so far.
He has certainly put in the hard work, sussing out several plans without knowing whether talk of investment was going to translate into hard cash to spend. Given the excess baggage currently being shed, he is attempting to free some room in the budget by other means.
It would be a crying shame, however, if a tight budget meant making concessions on the robust squad he wanted this season. A manager should be able to build a squad in his own mould, and Lennon is nowhere near at the moment.
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Neil Lennon pledged to create a more robust squad this season and set out his stall nicely with the capture of Gary Madine – a no-nonsense centre forward eager to prove his critics wrong after leaving Sheffield Wednesday.
It might not have been the Hollywood signing fans have been clamouring for, but it was certainly a start.
Once Adam Bogdan’s future became clear, Ben Amos was on board. His impending arrival has met with almost unanimous approval after last season’s excellent loan spell.
Recently, however, the club has registered interest in some surprising names – not least ex-Blackburn Rovers skipper David Dunn, who started just three games down the road at Ewood Park last season.
Putting aside his dyed-in-the-wool connections to the Whites’ Lancashire rivals, the 35-year-old hardly seems to fit the dynamic breed of central midfielder that Lennon seemed to seek last season.
If Jay Spearing and Medo Kamara were not considered ‘his type’ then regardless of Dunn’s qualities in the dressing room or his blossoming coaching career, you would have to place the story in the basket marked ‘plain bizarre.’
What may come as a relief to some is that at present, Wanderers’ interest in Dunn looks to be a passing one. While the interest may give a little indication that Lennon feels such experience and character is lacking in his squad, any move is still in its infancy.
No contract has been discussed, nor squad number earmarked. Given what happened last time Bolton looked into signing him, absolutely nothing should be taken for granted.
But another name which has circulated in the last few months, Wilson Palacios, played even fewer games than Dunn last season.
The Honduras international has featured heavily for his country in the last 12 months but played precisely zero games for Stoke City in the final year of his contract at the Britannia Stadium.
While a popular figure behind the scenes at the Potters, his £8million move from Tottenham has been little short of a disaster.
Injuries have mounted up to such an extent that many question whether he can now hack the pace of English football – but nevertheless, it seems he will join Lennon’s squad for a trial when they travel to Austria in just over a week, alongside a few other Europe-based hopefuls looking to make an impression.
In his prime Palacios seems exactly the kind of fearsome competitor Lennon has been looking for but at nearly 31 and with so little playing time in the last year, he would be another big gamble.
Whether we can read anything into MLS club Philadelphia Union passing on the chance to sign him last week after a short trial remains to be seen.
Wanderers look more likely to shed players over the coming weeks rather than sign them – with the names of Conor Wilkinson, Sanmi Odelusi, Tom Eaves, Rob Hall and even Liam Feeney doing the rounds.
Many are looking at July 1 for inspiration, hoping the club can pull out a surprise signing that has gone under the radar and revive some of the positivity which has flagged among supporters just recently.
While the likes of Max Clayton, Zach Clough, David Wheater and Mark Davies will be available again at the start of the season, the manager is no fool, and knows his squad is some way from being able to challenge at the top end of the Championship.
Lennon forecast a busy summer but as he prepares to welcome his squad back into training on Monday there is precious little evidence to support his claim so far.
He has certainly put in the hard work, sussing out several plans without knowing whether talk of investment was going to translate into hard cash to spend. Given the excess baggage currently being shed, he is attempting to free some room in the budget by other means.
It would be a crying shame, however, if a tight budget meant making concessions on the robust squad he wanted this season. A manager should be able to build a squad in his own mould, and Lennon is nowhere near at the moment.
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