I understand the reason why people are saying no news was good news. To an extent I agree. The most likely news would have been a deal taking the one of Zach Clough, Josh Vela or Rob Holding away from the Macron and I did not want to see that. But I just can’t dispense with the feeling Bolton Wanderers really did need to move some players on during the window.
The players I think we needed to move on will come as a surprise to exactly no one. The likes of Mark Davies, David Wheater, Ben Amos and Jay Spearing who are amongst the clubs higher earners are the type I am talking about. Having cashed in on the carpark for a reported £6 million there was no pressing need to move on a player could get us a fee, basically Clough, hence why I agree in part with the sentiment.
But as it stands all that is going to happen with that money is it will be spent on player’s wages, a large chunk of that going to Wheater and co.
Now I know moving on those types of players was never going to be easy. Few clubs in the division can afford their wages as is evidenced by Davies move to Sheffield Wednesday falling through earlier in the window. Not only that but Wheater is out injured again so no one was going to sign him, Amos’ blunder against Leeds United in the FA Cup showed why no one wants him and Spearing’s fall from first team regular to squad player is all one really needs to know in relation to why no one wants him.
With the wage bill as fat as ever I can’t help thinking Bolton missed a trick and should have done far more than they appeared to do to move those players on.
As a friend of mine might put it the massive wage bill is now future Bolton’s problem. Now that mentality does work, just about, when it comes to University but when it comes to running a business it is a worry. Bolton may have found funding to keep the club going in the short term but to make it viable in the long run we need to move on players, and a quiet transfer deadline day means the club has missed out on doing just that.