Changes in the laws governing foreign transfers have allowed clubs to bring in foreign players who would have previously been denied a work visa.
Ian Evatt and Chris Markham, his recruitment manager, are now looking at markets that could aid Bolton if they want to go up a level next season.
In the near term, the club is considering bringing in backup for Gethin Jones, who plays his final game before joining the Australia squad at the Asian Cup, and midfielder Carlos Mendes Gomes, who is with Guinea Bissau at the Africa Cup of Nations. Depending on their country’s success, both players could be out until February.
Evatt wants to keep his options open for the time being.
“I think we just need to stay fluid,” he told The Bolton News. “We work the windows in advance, so we have done our preparation. We know what the market looks like.
“There are other parts of the market too, which I don’t think we’re quite ready to use, i.e. the worldwide transfers, but it is developing all the time.
“That side of things is developing, so hopefully in the summer we are ready to move into that market.
“We are ready with everything else but we want to stay fluid for now.”
In June, the regulations around international transfers were relaxed slightly, enabling clubs in the Championship to sign up to four players who did not previously meet the international visa requirements. Clubs in Leagues One and Two can sign two players under the same guidelines.
Players were either passed or failed to acquire a GBE (Governing Body Exemption) based on their international experience, age, and the number of minutes they played the previous season.
The Football Association, on the other hand, stated in the summer that the new move “provides additional access to exceptional international talent that falls outside the current GBE criteria.”
Evatt feels Wanderers may get good value for money by looking into overseas transfer markets, citing Japan as an example. But he is hesitant to rush in, believing that the club must be playing in the second tier for the reforms to be successful.
“You must establish a proper strategy and a department that can focus on the many, many variables in that type of situation transfer,” he said.
“You have language barriers, you need people who know the market, the values, the agency, how they are going to take to a new country – all these things are hugely important.
“When you can only have a couple of spaces you need to make sure you get it right.
“Hopefully when we progress – this year, next year, whenever we are back in the Championship – it is key for us to be smart and strategic in that market and get the best players for the best value.”
Wanderers go to Fleetwood tonight looking to secure a third straight victory in the league, and potentially return to the automatic promotion places.
They would climb above Peterborough United if they can better Posh’s result at home to Barnsley.
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