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Wanderers will ask Dapo Afolayan to stay next season – if they can remain in the promotion hunt.
Ian Evatt has been delighted with the impact made by the 23-year-old since he joined on loan from West Ham on deadline day.
Afolayan was in good shape again on Saturday as Wanderers extended an unbeaten sequence to nine games – their best since 2005 – with a 1-1 draw against Bradford City.
The winger is out of contract at the Hammers this summer and is known to be keen to find regular football, even if it means dropping down the divisions, Evatt hopes Bolton can make a good case to be Afolayan’s permanent home by finishing this season strong, and potentially making an immediate return to League One.
“He’s a good, young player with a lot of talent and a lot of ability,” he said. “His work ethic is there as well. He’s a bright one for the future and hopefully we can keep him at Bolton Wanderers for the long term, that’s what we want to do.”
Afolayan has not only impressed with his skills on the touchline – but also his willingness to get back and defend.
Both he and Lloyd Isgrove worked hard out of possession at Valley Parade, typifying the attitude of the in-form Whites at present.
“You have to do that job, especially away from home,” Evatt said. “You have to do that job for the team and you have to put in that graft both sides of the game, attack and defence and Dapo did that great.
“Lloyd played for that reason as well. He put in a great shift and got a bit of a tight hamstring at the end there.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who watched that game or was here could say that we didn’t deserve to win the game. We were fantastic, but we’ll dust ourselves down and go again on Tuesday against Cambridge.”
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Ian Evatt has been delighted with the impact made by the 23-year-old since he joined on loan from West Ham on deadline day.
Afolayan was in good shape again on Saturday as Wanderers extended an unbeaten sequence to nine games – their best since 2005 – with a 1-1 draw against Bradford City.
The winger is out of contract at the Hammers this summer and is known to be keen to find regular football, even if it means dropping down the divisions, Evatt hopes Bolton can make a good case to be Afolayan’s permanent home by finishing this season strong, and potentially making an immediate return to League One.
“He’s a good, young player with a lot of talent and a lot of ability,” he said. “His work ethic is there as well. He’s a bright one for the future and hopefully we can keep him at Bolton Wanderers for the long term, that’s what we want to do.”
Afolayan has not only impressed with his skills on the touchline – but also his willingness to get back and defend.
Both he and Lloyd Isgrove worked hard out of possession at Valley Parade, typifying the attitude of the in-form Whites at present.
“You have to do that job, especially away from home,” Evatt said. “You have to do that job for the team and you have to put in that graft both sides of the game, attack and defence and Dapo did that great.
“Lloyd played for that reason as well. He put in a great shift and got a bit of a tight hamstring at the end there.
“I don’t think there’s anyone who watched that game or was here could say that we didn’t deserve to win the game. We were fantastic, but we’ll dust ourselves down and go again on Tuesday against Cambridge.”
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