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Josh Sheehan has signed a new two-year extension to his contract with Wanderers.
The Welsh playmaker was due to fall out of contract at the end of the season – but Ian Evatt has confirmed to The Bolton News that he has now agreed a new deal, which will take him to the summer of 2027.
Sheehan signed for the Whites on a free transfer from Newport County in the summer of 2021 and battled back from a serious knee injury to win the club’s player of the year award last season.
After earning a regular starting place for Wales under new manager Craig Bellamy, concerns were raised that he could leave for nothing in the summer – but Evatt was pleased to play those fears down.
“He won’t be going anywhere,” he told us. “We haven’t discussed things because we have tried to keep things in-house but he has signed a new contract, so we have got no worries there. As always, we have tried to be proactive with things like that.”
Wanderers take on Blackpool on Saturday hoping to provide an immediate response to their 5-0 hiding at Stockport before the international break.
Sheehan started both games for Wales as they got promoted in the Nations League and there was a first Hungary cap in three years for Szabolcs Schön, who came on as a substitute in a 1-1 draw against Germany.
Dion Charles also grabbed a goal for Northern Ireland from the penalty spot against Belarus as Michael O’Neill’s side also grabbed promotion, sealing their spot in League B with a 2-2 draw against Luxembourg on Tuesday night.
Evatt hopes his international contingent can now translate that form to League One football.
“Dion in particular hasn’t really hit the heights this season that we all know he is capable of hitting, I think that’s fair to say,” he said.
“Josh is incredibly consistent, a really good player, and he has to continue on that vein of form he has shown probably since the two or three months he took to get back to top speed and shape after his injury.
“I was pleased for Szabi too, getting a few minutes for Hungary in a big game against Germany.
“It can only help bode well for this club that they have all have gone away and had a good time and can bring back some confidence for Saturday.”
Evatt feels his players are in the right frame of mind to produce a response against Blackpool in a game he accepts has taken on added significance because of their last league result.
“We have had good, honest, frank conversations,” he said. “We have always managed to find a response to these difficult times in the past and I think we can do it again.
“You don’t learn unless have those conversations about why those things happened but we have moved on from looking at the why and we are now looking at what the response looks like.
“We have set a clear plan and strategy in place on what we want to do on Saturday but we have a run of games now where we feel we can pick up some points, provided we hit the levels I know we can hit.
“Prior to the last league game, one game ago, we were top of the form table, so we have to remember we were doing some pretty good things before then and we have to get back to it.”
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