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Ian Evatt is backing Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to produce the goods at Wanderers after becoming his latest signing of the transfer window.
The Iceland international signed an 18-month deal at the UniBol and will go straight into the squad to face Shrewsbury Town tomorrow afternoon.
Bodvarsson has played at the World Cup and European Championships for his country but his recent goal record at club level has left some Bolton fans sceptical.
The 29-year-old has hit the back of the net just 20 times in 133 Championship appearances for Wolves, Reading and Millwall in the last six seasons.
But Evatt is convinced he can get more out of him in a Bolton shirt.
“He is experienced at 29 and been an international footballer at the highest level for a long time now,” said the Wanderers boss. “People might well look at his goal record but what they need to understand is that he hasn’t played at this low a level before, and secondly that he hasn’t played for us before.
“We create a lot of chances and that will be different to Millwall in the Championship or Reading, at times.
“We must judge him once he is in our system and knowing the way we play. I am confident he will come in and score goals for us.”
Bodvarsson can play through the middle or out on the right-hand side of the attack, and ripped up the remaining six months of a lucrative contract with Millwall to force through a move to Bolton.
“It speaks volumes of where we are as a club,” Evatt said. “History has helped us out with this one, the number of Icelandic players we have had, and Jon admitted to me that he was a fan of Bolton growing up and watched a lot of their games. He understands the history and wants to buy into it.
“The owner, the way she does things, people in football will hear about that and want to be a part of it because it is different to the norm.
“The way we play, the facilities we have here, the area we are in, so many boxes can be ticked now and people want to be a part of it.
“Jon’s agent is the same as Dapo’s and we have proved that we are not just saying things, we do them, and that builds trust. He has helped us to get the conversations going and buy into the club.
Wanderers’ improving reputation within the game has made business easier to do during the winter window, admits Evatt.
“Whether we like them or not, agents are a big part of the game and you need them onside,” he said.
“I had a long career as a player and now as a manager and fundamentally you get to understand who the really good agents are, and I think Dapo’s agent, Simon Miotto, is a guy who wants the best for his players – that doesn’t always mean most pounds, it is what club is the best fit for them as players and people to help them thrive.
“At Bolton we might not tick the financial box but we tick a lot of others.
“The culture and environment we are trying to create here, from owners down, is brilliant to be a part of and these players want to be a part of it.”
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