Straight From the Stands: Foreign business and goalkeeping necessity

Bolton Wanderers column: Foreign deals and goalkeeping must

Looking abroad

By Liam Hatton

A left winger from the Caribbean and a midfielder from Scandinavia – all of this sounds familiar, and it has previously benefited Bolton Wanderers. The club’s recruitment drive is expanding beyond the country, and while Fergal Harkin previously stated that the club was limited in the number of signings it could bring in from abroad, there appears to be some leeway due to Szabolcs Schön no longer counting towards that quota due to the number of minutes he played last season.

The winger in question is Thierry Gale, and if rumors are to be believed (because when has news ever been leaked on Twitter and shown to be incorrect), he will be the next man through the door. Standing at 5 feet and 6 inches, he is not the tallest player, but he has a lot of pace, which the Wanderers urgently need. An injection of innovation, a player who can leave you guessing what will happen next simply by dropping a shoulder and leaving his marker in the dust.

The more complicated agreement appears to be for Jesper Ceesay, as a money has been agreed with his club IFK Norrköping, but there is still the matter of agreeing on personal terms.

There appears to have been a lot of drama around this deal back in Sweden, but I won’t go into detail because I don’t know enough about the situation and it would be pointless to conjecture. What we do know is that he is a pretty intimidating figure, standing 6 feet 4 and playing as a defensive midfielder. He appears to be something that our midfield sorely requires. He should offer bite, get involved in big challenges, and his presence in the team would allow Joel Randall to move forward more and perhaps thrive, simply because he wouldn’t have to rely on his defensive qualities as much at the number 10 position.

The favorable aspect of these two names is that they meet immediate needs. As previously stated, Bolton lacks pace and requires a stronger physical presence throughout the team’s core. This process began with the signings of Sam Dalby and Richard Taylor, but it is clear that further incomings are required. If you bring in players from England, you are likely to pay more in terms of the luxury tax, which clubs will benefit from either bidding wars or inflated pricing. Obviously, teams can value their players as they see fit, but if you can discover a few jewels elsewhere at a lower cost and you trust your recruitment sufficiently, it’s worth the risk.

People may point to the risk of signing unknown players from abroad, but my argument is that just because the fanbase is unfamiliar with a player does not mean the recruitment staff is as well. I say this because it is basically their duty to trust their judgment and conduct in-depth analysis of a player. So, while I have no idea if either player will sign or if they will be good, it is something out of the ordinary, and if it pays off, it may be good business.

With all of the transfer chatter this week about a specific Swedish midfielder, I’m more concerned about another position we’re focusing on. Luke Southwood’s deal to Bristol Rovers appears to be almost complete. By the time you read this, it may have already been made official. In all honesty, I was happy that Southwood and Teddy Sharman-Lowe were competing for the top slot this year. Both goalkeepers brought unique skills to the position. Sharman-Lowe was an excellent shot-stopper, and Southwood provided the versatility to play out of the back when necessary. However, this transfer has thrown a wrench in the works, which I feel we can leverage to our advantage.

I’ve spoken with a number of fans in the last week who appear to be ready for Luke Hutchinson to step up this year. Our coaches will undoubtedly keep an eye on him during the preseason. I believe Hutchinson is a fantastic talent who, with the correct development, might become an asset to us in some way. I’ve seen Hutchinson play in a few EFL Trophy games, as well as a league game last year on an emergency loan. Given that it was his league debut, I felt he played an excellent first half.

However, it appeared that as soon as one goal was scored against him, his confidence dipped. This is, of course, natural for a goalkeeper his age. But, personally, I don’t believe we should throw our season and promotion ambitions on his youthful shoulders. Instead, I’d want to see him on loan to a League Two club so he can receive additional experience above the Under 23 level. I recall Nathan Baxter’s hand injury towards the close of the 2023/24 season. I feel the single most important reason we did not advance that year was a lack of adequate backup. With the likes of James Trafford in goal in prior years, you knew we had one last line of defense if all our defenders were defeated. That confidence goes a long way in sports. I think Sharman-Lowe is a fantastic signing, and he may be our next Trafford this season. However, I believe it is hazardous to invest everything on him this year. This is a new and tougher division for him, and he may need some time to adjust.

Steven Schumacher talked a lot last year about bringing in top talent from higher divisions if we want to move out of this league. I believe that finding a group of players who have already established themselves and can step up when needed is critical this transfer window for the upcoming season, particularly between the sticks.