Bolton Wanderers column: A look at Whites’ midfield.

By Lee Sidebotham.

This pre-season, I’ve been talking about each position on our team and how I believe we can improve on last season with the players we have now and the options on the transfer market. This week, I’ll give my thoughts on our midfield.

Last season, it appeared that we played without one on numerous occasions. Our defence-to-attack transition was insufficiently fluid, and we were caught off guard far too frequently by opposing teams who knew our old game plan. We need to change things this year, and I believe we already have the players to do so.

Aaron Morley, Josh Sheehan, George Thomason, and Kyle Dempsey are four excellent central midfielders to have on our roster at this level, and I’m excited to see how they perform in a new team coached by Schumacher. As a former central midfielder, I believe he will make some much-needed changes to our setup.

I also believe this is an excellent opportunity for Joel Randell to make a fresh start. I was actually quite impressed with him in his first few games, which went unnoticed at the time given what was going on off the field. But he faded away near the end of the season. We know he has the talent, and I believe he will be an excellent asset to our promotion push this season under Schumacher’s leadership.

Despite our existing talent, I believe we need a few more. Our injury list from last season proves this. In an ideal world, I’d recommend players such as Sonny Carey from Blackpool, who has yet to sign a new contract. But, in reality, I believe Fergal Harkin will prioritise other areas of the pitch where we require more quality, while looking for a backup in midfield to shake things up.

Deep down, I hope he has someone on his radar from his time recruiting in Europe. Szabolcs Schon demonstrated that they can handle the cold and rainy Tuesday nights in Northampton.

Cameron Humphry made an impact for Wycombe last season, scoring thirteen goals and assisting on another. Ipswich will have a very strong squad fighting to regain promotion to the Premier League next season, and I can see him returning to League One the following year. And, with some championship experience under his belt, he would be my choice.

Finally, I was surprised to see Sunderland’s retained list after their promotion to the Premier League. Except for a few loanees and youngsters, every player was retained. This means Jay Matete could play in the Premier League next season. Or perhaps not in reality! While he was not the most consistent player, in some games he appeared to be the only one giving it his all. That goes a long way with me.

Schumacher knows him well from his time at Plymouth. As a backup, I wouldn’t mind bringing him back in as Schumacher works to get the most out of him.

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