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No longer the wonderkid at Wanderers, is Josh Vela ready to be the main man at the Macron?
It is just over four years since the slender lad from Salford graduated from the Whites academy and made his debut in the Premier League.
The boy who stepped out on to the pitch against Swansea – replacing Mark Davies – was tipped for very big things. But that early hype was never quite fulfilled as Vela struggled to find his own identity in the professional ranks.
Two relegations later, life has most certainly not turned out as planned. Moved from pillar to post for the last 18 months he has struggled to nail down a regular position in the team, while the club’s results took a predictable toll on his confidence.
But a change of manager over the summer has seen a change in attitude, and Vela now feels more aware of his responsibilities as the club gears up for a season in League One.
“I’m not a youngster anymore,” he told The Bolton News. “I’m 22 now, 23 later in the year and if I can stay in the team I’ll have played more than 100 games by the end of the season.
“I feel more mature now. There are quite a lot of younger players around at the moment and I’m a more senior one, which has been strange.
“I’m a quiet lad really, I just get on with playing football. But maybe it’s time for me to step up and be a bit louder now.
“I’m enjoying my football at the moment, so it might be a good time.
“If the manager wants me to be one of the main men, I have got to step up to the plate this year.”
Phil Parkinson inherited a squad with no shortage of competition in the midfield ranks. Had a different man not taken an instant shine to Vela, he may well have been looking for a different club this summer.
Reared by Wanderers from the age of eight – the tough-tackling midfielder has now been given a licence to stay in his preferred position.
“Since the manager came in he has been really encouraging, he just wants me to get on the ball and play. That’s all I want to do really,” he said.
“Last year I’d be midfield for two games then right-back for 10 games, and it is harder to get consistency when you are like that.
“The manager told me right away I’d be a midfielder and so it has been easier to settle, and I think have done that in pre-season.
“I think I have done quite well, so hopefully I can stay in the team.”
Vela has sampled life in League One, joining a relegation battle at Notts County two seasons ago in a well-timed separation from former boss Dougie Freedman.
And that experience has left him convinced Wanderers should be pitching themselves as promotion contenders this season.
“I honestly think we should be challenging top two, to go up straight away,” he said. “We have got a good squad of players and the right manager. He can take us up to the next level.
“He’s big on discipline and team shape but also fitness as well. We will be able to go for 90 minutes against any side in the division.
“We’ve played against two good teams in the last week – Burnley and Preston – and more than matched them.
“I think when Burnley went one up the other night, last year we would have rolled over. This year I feel like we can fight our way back into games.
“I played at Notts County on loan and so I know it isn’t going to be pretty.
“This (the Macron) is still a Premier League ground, so here we don’t have any excuses. We should be winning every home game, in my opinion.
“The away ‘curse’ hasn’t really been mentioned but we definitely need to start winning games away from home as well.”
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It is just over four years since the slender lad from Salford graduated from the Whites academy and made his debut in the Premier League.
The boy who stepped out on to the pitch against Swansea – replacing Mark Davies – was tipped for very big things. But that early hype was never quite fulfilled as Vela struggled to find his own identity in the professional ranks.
Two relegations later, life has most certainly not turned out as planned. Moved from pillar to post for the last 18 months he has struggled to nail down a regular position in the team, while the club’s results took a predictable toll on his confidence.
But a change of manager over the summer has seen a change in attitude, and Vela now feels more aware of his responsibilities as the club gears up for a season in League One.
“I’m not a youngster anymore,” he told The Bolton News. “I’m 22 now, 23 later in the year and if I can stay in the team I’ll have played more than 100 games by the end of the season.
“I feel more mature now. There are quite a lot of younger players around at the moment and I’m a more senior one, which has been strange.
“I’m a quiet lad really, I just get on with playing football. But maybe it’s time for me to step up and be a bit louder now.
“I’m enjoying my football at the moment, so it might be a good time.
“If the manager wants me to be one of the main men, I have got to step up to the plate this year.”
Phil Parkinson inherited a squad with no shortage of competition in the midfield ranks. Had a different man not taken an instant shine to Vela, he may well have been looking for a different club this summer.
Reared by Wanderers from the age of eight – the tough-tackling midfielder has now been given a licence to stay in his preferred position.
“Since the manager came in he has been really encouraging, he just wants me to get on the ball and play. That’s all I want to do really,” he said.
“Last year I’d be midfield for two games then right-back for 10 games, and it is harder to get consistency when you are like that.
“The manager told me right away I’d be a midfielder and so it has been easier to settle, and I think have done that in pre-season.
“I think I have done quite well, so hopefully I can stay in the team.”
Vela has sampled life in League One, joining a relegation battle at Notts County two seasons ago in a well-timed separation from former boss Dougie Freedman.
And that experience has left him convinced Wanderers should be pitching themselves as promotion contenders this season.
“I honestly think we should be challenging top two, to go up straight away,” he said. “We have got a good squad of players and the right manager. He can take us up to the next level.
“He’s big on discipline and team shape but also fitness as well. We will be able to go for 90 minutes against any side in the division.
“We’ve played against two good teams in the last week – Burnley and Preston – and more than matched them.
“I think when Burnley went one up the other night, last year we would have rolled over. This year I feel like we can fight our way back into games.
“I played at Notts County on loan and so I know it isn’t going to be pretty.
“This (the Macron) is still a Premier League ground, so here we don’t have any excuses. We should be winning every home game, in my opinion.
“The away ‘curse’ hasn’t really been mentioned but we definitely need to start winning games away from home as well.”
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