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Wanderers have not yet completely ruled out signing free agent Joel Lynch this season.
Ian Evatt says there is still a chance that the 33-year-old defender could be offered a deal at the University of Bolton Stadium but admits that the heavy fixture schedule and form of centre-halves Alex Baptiste and Ricardo Santos have slowed the need for an immediate decision.
Lynch, who left Sunderland last summer, had been on trial at Southend in January but then accepted an offer to train with Bolton, who had shown an interest in signing him over the summer.
He has now been sent back home, as time on the training pitch is limited with Wanderers playing two games a week until the middle of the month.
Evatt insists, however, that there has not been a final decision.
“It isn’t over and done with, we just haven’t made a call on it yet,” he said. “There are other things that have taken preference and priority.”
Wanderers have started to work on their recruitment for the summer, with new technical performance director Chris Markham starting to assemble shortlists of potential targets for discussion.
The club’s rise up the table has increased the chances of League One football next season – which is another factor Evatt is taking into consideration.
“Cards on the table, of course, and we have got Ryan Delaney waiting in the wings as well,” he said. “We’re also hopeful of progressing out of this division.
“There are lots of decisions that need to be made. At the moment I am focussed on the team and the way it is performing. I want to focus on the next opponent, Oldham.
“We have got Chris Markham in and the instruction has been given to work on some different lists for the summer with different scenarios. But for now the team needs my full attention for the rest of the season to get this club where it needs to be.”
Speaking on the Football League World podcast, Lynch admitted his future was up in the air after the move to Bolton prove much more complicated than it first appeared.
“I left Southend thinking I was going to sign for Bolton as I felt I wouldn’t have to do much training to prove myself but since then they’ve sent me home and told me they’ll get back to me,” he said.
“I’m now just training back at home and waiting on it. There’s nothing straightforward. I thought I was going to go straight up there and sign but that isn’t what has happened.
“I’d played against Ian Evatt back in the day and stuff and obviously had a few conversations with him over the past few months as that interest has always been there.
“I trained and I thought I did well but it’s just the situation Bolton find themselves in that doesn’t help as they are sort of rebuilding and they have had a lot of ins and outs. At the end of the day it is down to them, it’s their decision, I am just waiting for a yes or a no.”
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Ian Evatt says there is still a chance that the 33-year-old defender could be offered a deal at the University of Bolton Stadium but admits that the heavy fixture schedule and form of centre-halves Alex Baptiste and Ricardo Santos have slowed the need for an immediate decision.
Lynch, who left Sunderland last summer, had been on trial at Southend in January but then accepted an offer to train with Bolton, who had shown an interest in signing him over the summer.
He has now been sent back home, as time on the training pitch is limited with Wanderers playing two games a week until the middle of the month.
Evatt insists, however, that there has not been a final decision.
“It isn’t over and done with, we just haven’t made a call on it yet,” he said. “There are other things that have taken preference and priority.”
Wanderers have started to work on their recruitment for the summer, with new technical performance director Chris Markham starting to assemble shortlists of potential targets for discussion.
The club’s rise up the table has increased the chances of League One football next season – which is another factor Evatt is taking into consideration.
“Cards on the table, of course, and we have got Ryan Delaney waiting in the wings as well,” he said. “We’re also hopeful of progressing out of this division.
“There are lots of decisions that need to be made. At the moment I am focussed on the team and the way it is performing. I want to focus on the next opponent, Oldham.
“We have got Chris Markham in and the instruction has been given to work on some different lists for the summer with different scenarios. But for now the team needs my full attention for the rest of the season to get this club where it needs to be.”
Speaking on the Football League World podcast, Lynch admitted his future was up in the air after the move to Bolton prove much more complicated than it first appeared.
“I left Southend thinking I was going to sign for Bolton as I felt I wouldn’t have to do much training to prove myself but since then they’ve sent me home and told me they’ll get back to me,” he said.
“I’m now just training back at home and waiting on it. There’s nothing straightforward. I thought I was going to go straight up there and sign but that isn’t what has happened.
“I’d played against Ian Evatt back in the day and stuff and obviously had a few conversations with him over the past few months as that interest has always been there.
“I trained and I thought I did well but it’s just the situation Bolton find themselves in that doesn’t help as they are sort of rebuilding and they have had a lot of ins and outs. At the end of the day it is down to them, it’s their decision, I am just waiting for a yes or a no.”
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