Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt has refused to rule out the possibility of strengthening his squad in January as he targets promotion from League One.
The Trotters are currently the most in-form team in the division, winning their last five league games to move them level on points with second-placed Oxford United in the final automatic promotion spot.
Ian Evatt’s side began the campaign as one of the pre-season favourites to win the division and that looked justified when they won their opening three games of the new campaign. However, a humbling 4-0 home defeat against Wigan Athletic in August brought them crashing down to Earth with a bang, and a spell of one win in four in September and October saw them lose pace with leaders Portsmouth.
That run culminated in a 3-1 reverse against lowly Carlisle United, but that remains their last defeat and they now sit just one point behind the pacesetters.
This is the time of year when teams start to consider adding players to their roster during the winter transfer window. The Toughsheet Community Stadium could be considering this option as they want to finish their three-year stint in the third division. Evatt discussed the problem during yesterday’s press conference, according to The Bolton News;
“Just in case, I believe it is more likely to be prepared.
“There are several possibilities for the “just in case.” One of them is an injury. Carlos Mendes Gomes is expected to miss four to six weeks of the African Cup of Nations, which is something we have never had to deal with before and is new for us.
“Some of the wolves may have to be repelled in order to protect our assets.
It so comes down to being adaptable and organized. We know for a fact that.
“I’m running behind schedule for this press conference because I’ve spent the last two hours examining players and possible areas for improvement with Chris (Markham).”
“Should the necessity arise, we are prepared to relocate. We won’t be making any firm plans just yet, but by January, we need to be ready for anything that could happen.
Bolton’s match against relegation-threatened Exeter City is scheduled for this afternoon. Last weekend’s match against Cambridge United was postponed due to international call-ups.
Writer’s View
Bolton’s squad is one of the strongest in the division, especially in the attacking areas, and it is likely that only slight tweaks will need to be made.
Mendes Gomes has missed the majority of the campaign so far with a hamstring injury, although did return to the squad prior to the recent international break. It may be that they look to bring in one or two loan players to add depth to the squad, especially because further injuries cannot be ruled out. As Evatt said, being prepared is the smart thing to do at this stage.
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