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It started with a slick contract signing video and – if all goes well – could end with promotion to the Championship; the age of Ricardo Santos at Bolton Wanderers has truly begun.
Things could hardly have gone better for the big defender in his two years at the UniBol, with promotion from League Two followed by captaincy, a Players’ Player of the Year award and a shiny new three-year deal to recognise his alpha status in the squad.
Fans sing his name, have it printed on their shirt, and no other member of the dressing room has played more games for Bolton at this point in time.
Nirvana? Well, not quite. Santos remains irked that the club finished ninth on his watch last season and has made it clear that better will be expected this time around, starting with Saturday’s trip to Ipswich.
Wanderers have not shouted their promotion intentions from the rooftops this summer but spending half an hour in the captain’s company leaves you in little doubt that he is serious about challenging higher up the table.
“I’m looking forward to this season as captain because it is the type of person I am,” he told The Bolton News, relaxing on a sun terrace in Lagos, Portugal.
“Last year, when I was given the honour, I maybe didn’t want to really show too much authority but I think this year everyone knows it.
“I have had half a year – now this is my first full one and I want the boys to get out there and enjoy our football.”
This time last year it was the rather more abrasive Antoni Sarcevic wearing the skipper’s armband and calling for momentum to be carried through from a promotion-winning campaign. Pressure and scrutiny did not always sit well on his shoulders, but Santos is keen to lead by example and demand more from a club desperate to return to a level of football to which it is more historically accustomed.
“There is pressure on me, of course, but I wouldn’t say it is a negative one,” he said. “It is good pressure. Even with the gaffer offering me a contract it has put encouragement and belief in me. I want to go out there and improve every day.
“Me personally, I want to get promoted. I want to score goals - or get the first one at least!
“I just want to win everything.”
Lofty ambition, for certain. Wanderers can take heart from the way they finished last year and the fact they have retained largely the same squad, heading into the final month of the transfer window.
The addition of Liverpool full-back Conor Bradley, Cambridge United defender Jack Iredale and Irish prospect Eoin Toal, plus the return of James Trafford from Manchester City on loan has given a solid look to the squad.
Little wonder, then, that Santos is relaxed about competing for three promotion spots in a division packed with former Premier League competitors.
“This league probably gets stronger every year,” he said. “But to be honest with you, last year we didn’t really play a team where I thought they were much better than us.
“I think it came down to how we performed on the day. So if we are on top of our game then, honestly, I don’t think it will be as hard as what people might think it will be.
“Games against the bigger clubs are the ones we need to stamp down and win. I remember playing against Sheffield Wednesday away, I think we should have won that, Sunderland away, we should have won that. I remember Plymouth at home and we should have won that, there were a lot of games like that.
“I remember against Ipswich and Sunderland, we need to just start fast and once we do that and when we score first, we don’t really lose so we need to try and get the first goal and stay on it.”
Wanderers went into last summer brimming with confidence and euphoric at the idea that fans were coming back through the turnstiles at last. And while those early performances showed they could trade blows with the best League One had to offer, the shallowness of their squad was quickly highlighted by a run of illnesses and injuries in the run up to Christmas.
This time, Santos hopes stability will be a big factor for Bolton as they look to maintain more consistency through the winter months than they have managed under Evatt thus far.
Training schedules have been tweaked, conditioning improved, recruitment beefed up, all with the aim of continuing that late-season drive from day one at Portman Road.
“We need to start fast,” Santos observed. “We were a bit inconsistent at times where we were good for a month and then we’d go through a little rough patch, which is normal and it happens to everyone.
“We went through that rough patch in November with a lot of Covid and injuries and then once the new boys came in during January, we kicked off again.
“Now everyone is used to each other. We understand each other and I think the gaffer did his work in January to get the players he needed.
“Before that we were lacking on numbers in certain positions, and I think now we’ve got numbers everywhere in every position. You can’t slack.
“The standard has been set high and, yes, you might not have a great game every game, but you have to give your all. If you show that it is better than nothing.”
Santos has been especially impressed with new recruit Iredale, who has bolstered Evatt’s options on the left side of defence.
“He has looked good,” Santos said. “He can play left centre-back of a three, he can play centre-back, he can play left-back. I think that’s the side we were probably lacking, on the left side.
“We had Dec (Declan John) and Liam (Liam Gordon) and then only Jonno (George Johnston) is a left footed centre back, so now we’ve got another option and it’s good for us.”
Now over the hamstring injury which left him watching the last few games of last season from the side-lines, Santos is ready to lead his team out at Ipswich and pick up where he left off.
“I want to be the best player in the league,” he said. “I want to get in the EFL team of the season, I haven’t got in one of them. I got in the PFA but I want to get in the EFL one and show how good I can be.”
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