Dougie Freedman is getting a clear picture of his squad

Bolton's reserves / development squad / U-21s, whatever you want to call it, drew 0-0 against Blackburn Rovers the other night. The squad boasted a strong lineup with the likes of Joe Riley, Marvin Sordell, Marcos Alonso, Benik Afobe, and Tim Ream, among others. This means that Dougie Freedman has now seen the vast majority of his squad in some sort of competitive action outside of training. It also means that he's getting a clear picture of what he has at his disposal and what he needs.

Freedman discussed his squad with the Bolton News: Options are fine but the ones you'd like to call upon are the ones to win you games.

"It's no use having 40 players and 35 are no good. But is it a squad in depth I need now or more quality?

"I'm getting a clearer picture now. More during the week than during games but I am getting a better idea now who wants to go forward with their career."

The loan deadline for Football League clubs is fast approaching and by all indications, it seems that Dougie will look to strengthen the midfield some more ahead of the January transfer window. Freedman has already brought in Jacob Butterfield but that loan is only one month long. Bolton are currently using four of their six available loan slots with the aforementioned Butterfield and Afobe on the books with Jay Spearing and Stephen Warnock accompanying them.

What this means for the rest of the squad is unclear but we definitely expect some sales and loan moves away in January.