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Ian Evatt plans to utilise the loan market in January to cover for some of his injured stars.
Wanderers have already opened talks with Hamburg about extending a deal for Xavier Amaechi but are now looking at younger players in the Premier League and Championship to boost their chances in the second half of the season.
Dapo Afolayan and Declan John’s arrival from West Ham and Swansea last January prompted a sharp upturn in form, and Evatt is banking on another strong finish.
Bolton are looking for at least two midfielders to cover the loss of Antoni Sarcevic to Stockport County and for injured playmaker Josh Sheehan.
Full-back and striker cover are also thought to be on Evatt’s shortlist in what could be a busy month.
Speaking before the League One clash with Accrington, the Wanderers boss said loaning the right players could have a positive effect on the side.
“It’s huge, especially with long-term injuries because there is no point signing another Josh Sheehan because we know he is coming back,” he told The Bolton News. “How do we get someone that can play to the level of Josh Sheehan but have them short-term until he’s back? That’s a loan – it’s as simple as that.
“We have to look at loans. Obviouslym the style and the way we play, and the club that this is and where we are in the country – we are an attractive proposition for the big Category One teams to send their better young players out on loan, so it’s great for us that we’ll have that option.”
Harry Brockbank, Adam Senior and MJ Williams should be in the squad for this afternoon’s game at the Wham Stadium but the loss of Gethin Jones, Lloyd Isgrove, Amadou Bakayoko, Sheehan and Andy Tutte has made Evatt re-think his original plans for the January window.
“It has definitely influenced it – a hundred percent,” he said of the list of absentees. “What we are trying to here is layer up the squad and make it better gradually, and that sometimes takes two to three transfer windows.
“You have to remember that we recruited a whole new squad and a whole new team at the start of last season in the middle of a salary cap.
“Progressing to a competitive, top-of-the-table League One team does take time. We have to layer it up and we’re starting to make plans to do that. But obviously when you have got so many players out injured, we want to make sure that we are fully covered and stocked for the remainder of the season, so that is something we are looking heavily at.
“We haven’t really utilised the loan market much, so we’ve got that option as well.”
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