17. Liam Trotter

Name: Liam Trotter

Squad Number: 17

Position: Central Midfielder

Joined: January 2014 (on loan), July 2014 (signed permanently)

Contract expires: July 2017

Liam Trotter was born and raised in Ipswich, and signed for the local club as a lad.  He made his senior debut in 2006 as a 17-year-old before he had even signed his first professional contract.  When he turned 18 and officially signed with Ipswich Town, he was promptly sent to Millwall on loan.  This was to be a recurring theme, as he was loaned to Millwall twice, before ultimately joining the club on a permanent deal in 2010.

After four years and over 100 appearances for Millwall, Trotter was loaned to Bolton Wanderers this past January.  Headline writers rejoiced, each imagining that he or she was the first person to write "Trotter Joins Trotters" across the top of a page.

Most supporters at the Reebok were underwhelmed with the move.  Trotter was thought of as a hard-tackling veteran who had spent his career in the lower leagues, not a very ambitious signing to say the least.  In fact,, I was quite surprised to learn that Trotter will only turn 26 in August.  I thought of him as a Keith Andrews type, a journeyman in his mid-30's.  That said, Trotter put in some solid performances for Bolton, and even scored a brilliant goal that was in the running for best of the season.

Injuries have limited Trotter's appearances this preseason, but he is expected to play a large part in the push for promotion in 2015.