Bolton Wanderers: Steven Schumacher will hope for Plymouth Argyle repeat if he lands exciting transfer.

As Bolton Wanderers prepare for another season in League One, Steven Schumacher begins his first summer as manager, and he will be eager to make his mark on the squad.

The former manager of Plymouth Argyle and Stoke City has expressed his desire for changes in Bolton’s recruitment practices.

According to Alan Nixon’s Patreon, Schumacher will be joined by new Sporting Director Fergal Harkin from Standard Liege and Plymouth Argyle’s current Head of Recruitment Jimmy Dickinson, who previously worked with Schumacher at Bury and the Pilgrims.

Niall Ennis, a Stoke City player, has been linked with Bolton as a potential key signing.

Ennis is the best fit for Bolton.

Ennis, who came through Wolverhampton Wanderers’ academy, is a striker that Bolton does not currently have, and he has proven to be of the necessary quality to compete at the top end of the third tier.

They sold their top scorer, Dion Charles, to Huddersfield Town during the winter transfer window and replaced him with Cardiff City forward Kion Etete on loan.

Etete has since left the Toughsheet Community Stadium following a disappointing season, leaving former Burton Albion striker Victor Adeboyejo as the club’s only out-and-out forward. Adeboyejo’s performance at Bolton has been hampered by injuries, and he has not consistently led the team to promotion.

The other forwards in the squad, such as John McAtee, Aaron Collins, and Klaidi Lolos, are better suited to other positions, such as out-wide for Collins or attacking midfield for Lolos. McAtee, James’ brother, is still looking for his ideal position.

The signing of Ennis would not be a gamble on players to take a step up or thrive in a position other than the one they have previously thrived in, as the former Wolves man is simply an out-and-out striker who has been there and done it in League One.

Bolton did not have a player among the top goalscorers in League One last season, which must be addressed in 2025/26 if the club is to pursue promotion.

Thriving under Schumacher.

Bolton manager will hope for a Plymouth repeat.

Ennis spent several years on loan at Wolves, moving to Shrewsbury Town, Doncaster Rovers, and Burton Albion before permanently leaving for Plymouth in the winter of 2021.

After a couple of frustrating seasons due to injuries and a lack of regular minutes, Ennis thrived in Schumacher’s only full season at Home Park, scoring 12 goals in 38 League One appearances as the club won the league title by more than 100 points.

That was the best season of Ennis’ career, and it came under Schumacher in the same league from which Bolton hopes to emerge next season.

He signed with Blackburn Rovers in the summer of 2023, but was reunited with Schumacher less than six months later, when he moved to the Bet365 Stadium to join Schumacher at Stoke.

After Schumacher left in mid-September, Ennis was loaned to League One club Blackpool, where he scored seven goals in 19 appearances, including the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Bolton in late March.

Ennis is still under contract in Staffordshire, but if Bolton can persuade him to move to Lancashire permanently, Schumacher and the club could pull off a coup, especially if they can attract the promotion-winning strike rate we saw at Plymouth.