Home
Gone are the days where Wanderers can offer top dollar to attract the top stars - but Ian Evatt believes the club still has an important bargaining chip in the January transfer window.
Salary caps and squad quotas in League Two mean splashing the cash would be difficult, even if Bolton had such luxuries at their disposal.
The reality in a football world turned upside down by the pandemic is that the earning power of many players who found themselves out of contract last summer has been severely diminished.
But that message, argues Evatt, has not necessarily sunk into some corners of the game, where demands remain high.
“Football moves on really quickly and has a really short memory,” he told The Bolton News.
“Some of the players who have played a lot of games in the Championship, even up to the end of last season, and have ended up without a club until January, they are now looked upon as a risk because they haven’t played for five or six months.
“Clubs might rather get a loan who has been in and around a club, it’s a big decision to make.
“Once you have been out of the game for six months or a year it is hard to get back in.
“And the issue players have got is agents and their expectations. These players have been on really good money last season, top, top, money. So to come to a club like Bolton, working under a salary cap, we can only pay a certain amount.
“There is a massive differential between what they earned last season and what they are earning now.
“But what I will say is that some money is better than none, and also you have the opportunity to get back in the window and get back to where you believe you should be. If we can help that, why not?”
Evatt’s sentiments may be geared towards a man he is looking to tie to a contract for the second half of this season.
Ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Kieran Lee is seen as the experienced leader Bolton have lacked - but the potential drop in salary for a player who made more than 30 appearances at Hillsborough last year is bound to be considerable.
Evatt says progress made on Lee in the last couple of days is encouraging but the Bolton boss has hinted that his club could now offer short-term deals in an effort to get such pedigree players, and help them reignite their career.
“If it means we get better players to come and use this platform, even if it is for six months, then why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?” he said.
“It is getting the players and the agents to understand it. They won’t get that money, they have missed the boat. The only way you get back to that earning power is by playing football.
“This is massive shop window and a massive club. It’s a great opportunity to get back to where you believe you should be.”
Making plans for January seems incongruous with the uncertainty that currently surrounds football and the rising levels of Covid-19.
Tuesday’s postponed game against Morecambe was the first real issue Wanderers have experienced and Evatt admits he is concerned about what is in store.
“I am surprised, we’ve done ever so well,” he said. “We have abided by everything the EFL chucked at us and haven’t had any covid issues so far, however, the testing resumes next week and we don’t know what we will find.
“The asymptomatic nature of the virus means we could have Eoin Doyle test positive, it could be someone like that, and it would make a big difference. It isn’t in our hands and it is very challenging.”
Source
Salary caps and squad quotas in League Two mean splashing the cash would be difficult, even if Bolton had such luxuries at their disposal.
The reality in a football world turned upside down by the pandemic is that the earning power of many players who found themselves out of contract last summer has been severely diminished.
But that message, argues Evatt, has not necessarily sunk into some corners of the game, where demands remain high.
“Football moves on really quickly and has a really short memory,” he told The Bolton News.
“Some of the players who have played a lot of games in the Championship, even up to the end of last season, and have ended up without a club until January, they are now looked upon as a risk because they haven’t played for five or six months.
“Clubs might rather get a loan who has been in and around a club, it’s a big decision to make.
“Once you have been out of the game for six months or a year it is hard to get back in.
“And the issue players have got is agents and their expectations. These players have been on really good money last season, top, top, money. So to come to a club like Bolton, working under a salary cap, we can only pay a certain amount.
“There is a massive differential between what they earned last season and what they are earning now.
“But what I will say is that some money is better than none, and also you have the opportunity to get back in the window and get back to where you believe you should be. If we can help that, why not?”
Evatt’s sentiments may be geared towards a man he is looking to tie to a contract for the second half of this season.
Ex-Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Kieran Lee is seen as the experienced leader Bolton have lacked - but the potential drop in salary for a player who made more than 30 appearances at Hillsborough last year is bound to be considerable.
Evatt says progress made on Lee in the last couple of days is encouraging but the Bolton boss has hinted that his club could now offer short-term deals in an effort to get such pedigree players, and help them reignite their career.
“If it means we get better players to come and use this platform, even if it is for six months, then why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?” he said.
“It is getting the players and the agents to understand it. They won’t get that money, they have missed the boat. The only way you get back to that earning power is by playing football.
“This is massive shop window and a massive club. It’s a great opportunity to get back to where you believe you should be.”
Making plans for January seems incongruous with the uncertainty that currently surrounds football and the rising levels of Covid-19.
Tuesday’s postponed game against Morecambe was the first real issue Wanderers have experienced and Evatt admits he is concerned about what is in store.
“I am surprised, we’ve done ever so well,” he said. “We have abided by everything the EFL chucked at us and haven’t had any covid issues so far, however, the testing resumes next week and we don’t know what we will find.
“The asymptomatic nature of the virus means we could have Eoin Doyle test positive, it could be someone like that, and it would make a big difference. It isn’t in our hands and it is very challenging.”
Source
