Opinion: Phil Parkinson’s Transfer Dilemmas - What Do We Need to Survive?

I’m delighted with the signing of Yanic Wildschut on a great many levels. Firstly and most importantly, it’s great to have on board a player with the attributes that our new winger possesses: pace and power.

Secondly, it’s great to have on board someone with his recent experience of success. Playing for Middlesbrough and Cardiff City in this league is no mean feat and to me shows that the man has the attitude and drive to succeed.

Lastly, it’s always fun laughing at Wigan Athletic - Christ knows we have enough reasons to. I just hope that our man scores the winner away at whatever their ground is called these days and sticks it right up the gee of that ‘Mon the Tics’ loser. Would be priceless.

That said, he can’t do it alone.

The spine of last year’s struggling team has largely been kept in place, barring the release of Darren Pratley and Karl Henry. That means from Ben Alnwick, through Mark Beevers and David Wheater, to Josh Vela and Adam Le Fondre the Bolton Wanderers side will still have a familiar look to it when it lines up at West Bromwich Albion in a couple of weeks’ time.

It seems to be part of the common understanding that our man Phil Parkinson wants to bring in another half a doze players to supplement those remaining. I think that if the these six are to be of the quality of Wildschut then it might well point to the season being something other than the unmitigated disaster that 99.9999999% of last season ended up being.

So which positions should we be looking at?

It appears that the goalkeeper is safe, with Polish right back Pawel Olkowski at right back being a lock, too. Beevers and Wheater will start at centre back (gulp), leaving A.N. Other at left back. Antonee Robinson was a bright spark last season and must surely be our first pick for the position should we be able to prise him away from Everton. We cannot begin the season with Andrew Taylor there, even though criticising him appears as though you’re kicking a lovely, defenceless puppy straight in the nuts.

In midfield you’d expect Vela, Jason Lowe and A.N. Other to anchor the centre. Who that Other might be is up for debate but someone with the ability to put their foot in and, most importantly, chip in with a few goals would be just terrific.

We are #blessed with a wealth of attacking options at the moment, with the likes of Wildschut, Sammy Ameobi, Erhun Oztumer, Will Buckley and Craig Noone being able to bring the ball out of midfield via the wide channels, so those positions are well-stocked.

Up front raises some interesting questions. ALF, Clayton Donaldson and Connor Hall are an intriguing threesome but you would still expect Parkinson to delve back into the market to bring in another reinforcement. One would hope that whoever this A.N. Other is that he of the same sort of ilk as Wildschut - someone to get on the end of the crosses that our wide players are bound to put into the box must be a priority. Just not Gary Madine.

So with just a couple of weeks left we need to go out and get our men. Will Charlie Wyke be one of those options? I hope so.

Either way and as ever with Bolton Wanderers it’s bound to be an interesting few weeks.

I cannot wait.