Aaron Morley signs a new contract at Wanderers

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Aaron Morley has committed his future to Bolton Wanderers with a new deal keeping him at the club until 2027.

The midfielder is closing in on 100 appearances for the Whites, having signed from Rochdale in January 2022, and whispers of him being offered a new contract have been circulating for several weeks.

Morley has become a fan-favourite thanks to his penchant for spectacular strikes, and he has found the back of the net 10 times since arriving at the club.

The 23-year-old scored in last season’s Papa Johns Trophy semi-final win at Accrington Stanley and has three goals to his name this season.

Morley hopes he can now help Bolton push back into the Championship – and potentially even higher.

“The gaffer always talks about the journey the club is going on and it’s great to be a part of it,” he said. “Hopefully I can help the club get back to where it belongs.

“This is where I want to be at this time of my career and, hopefully, we can push on together.

“The club is still too low for what kind of club it is. We always want to get back into the Championship and potentially the Premier League. That's always a dream for me, so hopefully we can do that together.”

Morley has had to fight for his chances in the first team this season alongside the likes of Josh Sheehan, George Thomason, Kyle Dempsey, Carlos Mendes Gomes and Paris Maghoma.

He has made 26 appearances so far and feels his game has progressed in a team which is once again knocking on the door of the top two.

“I think my performances on the pitch show I’ve been working hard on the training ground and on my game,” he said. “The gaffer has rewarded that and I can't thank him enough.

“He and all his staff have been amazing with me helping me to learn every day. I feel I am improving every day and hopefully it keeps going like that.

“The players are 100 per cent in it together and if someone else is starting we back them to play well and then when it's our chance, hopefully we take it. It’s great competition and better than knowing that you’re playing every time come what may. It's healthy.

“I think we’ve had a good first half of this season and hopefully we can carry that on into January and beyond. It's a big period, the Christmas period, and I think we've done well with the games we've had. Hopefully we can continue that to keep pushing up the league.”

Morley now boasts more than 200 career games, having broken into the first team in his teens at Rochdale, and his manager Ian Evatt is convinced there is still plenty of improvement left to come in his game.

“We're pleased with his development and how he’s progressed in his time here,” he said.

“He can do multi-functional things in the centre of midfield and play as an ‘eight’ or a ‘six’. Technically he's great and his out-of-possession play is improving all the time. He is an important part of what we're doing.

“He’s played a lot of games but he’s still a young player and I think there’s huge amount of development still to come with him. We have to protect and look after our assets, and we see him as one of those assets.”

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I like what I've seen on TV of Morley (although I always prefer to judge a player live because then I see the bits of their game 'away' from the ball - the running off the ball, the marking of players, the covering for others, etc, etc) - but is he really worth a three and a half year new contract?

This implies to me that he's seen as a regular in an established Championship midfield team - because that presumably is the goal set by FV for the club.

Is he really an established player in our team right now - as it seems to me that he is viewed to be below Sheehan, Dempsey, Thomason and Maghoma in the pecking order by Evatt.

I can't really think bigger clubs are sniffing around to try and buy him, so I'm more than surprised as to why he's been given such a long contract?

Am I missing something?

What do others think?

I have always liked him. Seems like a good lad and a decent player. Up to recently I prefer him to young George. At the moment GT has improved drastically but is still a walking red card. So, Aaron is a good back up for me.

Morley Swaps Wanderers In Loan Move

Whites' midfielder Aaron Morley has today joined Wycombe Wanderers on a season-long loan.

Wanderers have allowed Morley to move to Adams Park on a temporary basis for the chance to play more regularly in League One this term.

Morley – who joined Wanderers from Rochdale in January, 2022 – has made 122 appearances for the Whites, including 99 in the league.

However, the 24-year-old wasn’t a regular starter towards the end of last season and having not featured in Wanderers’ opening two League One fixtures this time around has been given the chance to link up with the Chairboys.

“Azza is one of the ones whose game-time has suffered and it's important we get him game-time and minutes to make sure he's continuing to develop and progress in his own career,” said Wanderers’ boss Ian Evatt.

“This isn't a ‘goodbye’. This us saying go away and get some games and minutes and get some confidence and then we can re-evaluate it.”

Morley scored a late penalty at Wycombe last season as Wanderers secured a first ever win at Adams Park.

But the form of Josh Sheehan and George Thomason and the arrival of several new faces this summer – including on-loan central midfielder Jay Matete – has increased Evatt’s options in a slightly re-shaped line-up to potentially limit Morley’s chances in the short term.

And with eight new signings made so far, there may be further movement before the transfer window closes in a week’s time as Wanderers remain fluid and ready to act.

Evatt told Wanderers TV: “In terms of the outs, yes, we've had phone calls. We've had offers for players on loan - some of the players who haven't been getting regular minutes for a period of time now and it might be the best thing for them to go out and get regular first-team football; not as a goodbye but more to get them back up to full speed for us.

“Unfortunately, I can only play 11 and make five changes so there’s a knock-on effect when you carry a pretty big squad. And I'm also understanding that we've got some really good players that people late in the window might want to buy, or test us with, and we’re ready for that as well.

“We’re being quite fluid but 'we're ready' is what I'll say, and should anything occur, whether it be ins or outs, we've got a plan in place to be able to act quickly.”