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Josh Emmanuel wants to stay with Wanderers next season – if the bank balance will allow.
The attacking full-back has been a regular in Keith Hill’s starting line-up, missing just four games since making his debut against Rotherham United back in September.
Emmanuel would like to extend his stay in the North West but knows that the financial landscape in football after the coronavirus crisis could be very different.
Asked if he would consider a new contract at Bolton, he told the FootySays YouTube channel: "Hopefully, we'll see what happens after this pandemic.
"Every club has been hit traumatically financially, so it's a real tough period for them.
"The owners are good people but money talks, so we'll see."
Lifting the lid on what it has been like playing at Wanderers this season, Emmanuel admits there has been a disparity between the club’s struggle on the pitch and the mood being projected into the dressing room.
Hill and David Flitcroft have attempted to keep morale high despite some dispiriting results – and the 22-year-old full-back feels the management team are due some credit.
"The gaffer really sets the tone in the dressing room," he said. "The mindset of 'we don't give up', no matter what happens.
"We've lost games 7-0 and even going into the next game, he's acting as though that didn't even happen.
"It can be a bit false at times but it's a real encouraging thing when you have a man who believes so passionately in his team.
"That's the confidence that we all take into every game, with the mindset that we can win and make something happen.”
To date, Emmanuel has played 31 times for Wanderers, returning to the starting line-up for the club’s last competitive game at Burton Albion following four-match spell on the bench.
The defender, who came through West Ham’s academy before moving to Portman Road, does not regret his decision to move north despite the fact that Wanderers attempt at the Great Escape has fallen flat.
"I came to Bolton because I hadn't played regularly for a number of months (at Ipswich) and had the backing of the manager Keith Hill and David Flitcroft, which I appreciated hugely,” he said. “I had the opportunity to make something happen.
"We were in minus points back then and they'd signed 10 other players along with myself, so moving back north away from home, it was a real big challenge for me.
"I'm one for a challenge and I was relishing the opportunity to play and help the club get back to where they are meant to be."
Emmanuel says Wanderers’ players have been given some directives on how to stay fit during the lockdown but that the process has been largely been left down to individuals.
“I’ve been trying to work hard and keep active.
“We haven’t had any Zoom sessions, I don’t think the coaches are techy enough to sort that, but we have been given our own programmes to follow. I have been doing 5k to 10k most days and just trying to stay active really.”
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The attacking full-back has been a regular in Keith Hill’s starting line-up, missing just four games since making his debut against Rotherham United back in September.
Emmanuel would like to extend his stay in the North West but knows that the financial landscape in football after the coronavirus crisis could be very different.
Asked if he would consider a new contract at Bolton, he told the FootySays YouTube channel: "Hopefully, we'll see what happens after this pandemic.
"Every club has been hit traumatically financially, so it's a real tough period for them.
"The owners are good people but money talks, so we'll see."
Lifting the lid on what it has been like playing at Wanderers this season, Emmanuel admits there has been a disparity between the club’s struggle on the pitch and the mood being projected into the dressing room.
Hill and David Flitcroft have attempted to keep morale high despite some dispiriting results – and the 22-year-old full-back feels the management team are due some credit.
"The gaffer really sets the tone in the dressing room," he said. "The mindset of 'we don't give up', no matter what happens.
"We've lost games 7-0 and even going into the next game, he's acting as though that didn't even happen.
"It can be a bit false at times but it's a real encouraging thing when you have a man who believes so passionately in his team.
"That's the confidence that we all take into every game, with the mindset that we can win and make something happen.”
To date, Emmanuel has played 31 times for Wanderers, returning to the starting line-up for the club’s last competitive game at Burton Albion following four-match spell on the bench.
The defender, who came through West Ham’s academy before moving to Portman Road, does not regret his decision to move north despite the fact that Wanderers attempt at the Great Escape has fallen flat.
"I came to Bolton because I hadn't played regularly for a number of months (at Ipswich) and had the backing of the manager Keith Hill and David Flitcroft, which I appreciated hugely,” he said. “I had the opportunity to make something happen.
"We were in minus points back then and they'd signed 10 other players along with myself, so moving back north away from home, it was a real big challenge for me.
"I'm one for a challenge and I was relishing the opportunity to play and help the club get back to where they are meant to be."
Emmanuel says Wanderers’ players have been given some directives on how to stay fit during the lockdown but that the process has been largely been left down to individuals.
“I’ve been trying to work hard and keep active.
“We haven’t had any Zoom sessions, I don’t think the coaches are techy enough to sort that, but we have been given our own programmes to follow. I have been doing 5k to 10k most days and just trying to stay active really.”
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