After being released by Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers, the 21-year-old signed for the Wanderers in September 2022. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers in the Papa Johns Trophy.
The Ireland Under-21 international was unable to break into the senior squad at the ToughSheet Community Stadium, so he spent time on loan with Oldham Athletic and Gateshead FC in the National League.
In February, the striker was loaned to St. Pats Athletic in the League of Ireland, where he scored six goals in 41 games across all competitions, culminating in the Irishman helping his team win the FAI Cup at the Aviva Stadium in November.
Carty’s progress in Ireland will be monitored by Matt Craddock, Bolton’s first-team coach. ‘Everything will be reassessed in January,’ Craddock told The Bolton News.
‘I believe it would be a wonderful loan, once again, giving him an opportunity to distinguish himself. Following that, as with all players, you present an opportunity, and it is up to them to seize it. He did it in Ireland and demonstrated that he could perform the things we needed him to do.’
He went on to commend the child’s growth. ‘Really, it was all about out-of-possession work, his work rate, and understanding how and when to press, and anyone who has watched him this year will tell you that area has improved so much. Suddenly, he appears to be a player.’
The Trotters have used a two-striker setup in the majority of their games this season. With their expectations for the automatic playoff spots this season, squad depth could be the key to a solid second half of the season.
However, with Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo, Dan Nlundulu, and Cameron Jerome likely ahead of Carty in the team, not sending him out on loan again in January may be detrimental to his long-term development .
Finally, it is likely that Bolton will want to re-use the loan market for the striker, and it is possible that an English club will want to take a risk on the former Wolves man for the second half of the season following his impressive first half in Ireland.
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