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Wanderers are ready to make a big call on Aaron Morley’s future in January – which includes the possibility of bringing him back to the Toughsheet Stadium.
The 24-year-old midfielder has helped Wycombe become League One’s surprise package over the first third of the season and rediscovered his best form since being sent out on loan at the start of September.
But Bolton are preparing to play hardball when the transfer window reopens, knowing the former Rochdale playmaker’s stock has risen significantly in his time away.
Ian Evatt said a final decision had yet to be made on whether Morley will be coming back to the North West, or whether he will be allowed to stay with the Chairboys on loan, or even permanently.
“We have had conversations about Aaron and we’ll make the best decision for us,” he told The Bolton News. “We are in a strong position with him, he has a lot of time left on his contract, he is our player, and he has found form again which is exactly what we wanted. We wanted him to go out, build confidence and get back to where we believe he was 18 months ago.
“It looks like he is getting there, which is great for us, really.
“At the moment they are ahead of us in the table, even though there is a lot of football still to be played, but we will once again look at it and make the right call for what we feel is best for Bolton Wanderers in the future.”
Wanderers maintain a good relationship with Morley, who is trying to keep his focus on the pitch, but asked whether the midfielder would have input into the decision-making process, given he is now getting the regular football he did not last season, Evatt said the final say would rest exclusively with the club.
“From our perspective, when you sign a contract you are happy to sign it, so the club makes the decision,” he said.
“We always do it alongside the player, have discussions with them and have open an honest dialogue with them, trying to come up with the best decision for everybody.
“But fundamentally, we are the ones who pay the salary and signed him initially from Rochdale, built him into the player he has become.
“It will be our call – and we will make the right one for us, whatever that may be.”
Whether Morley is the missing piece of the puzzle or not, it looks likely that a more attack-minded midfielder will be on Bolton’s shopping list in January.
Evatt currently has Josh Sheehan, George Thomason, Jay Matete, Scott Arfield and Klaidi Lolos to select from in the central positions, with Kyle Dempsey due back by the end of the month.
“We are light in that area with Demps out at the moment and we’d also lost Klaidi for a period of time, so he is still getting used to what we do,” he added.
“Tets (Matete) is between a six and an eight, really, so we need to develop him and teach him the eight role more. He has done a lot of the former in the 3-4-3, but not as much in 3-5-2. He did against Reading, did it well, but it’s probably about educating him a little more.
“We are probably one down in midfield at the moment.”
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