Ricardo Almeida Santos has extended his stay at Bolton for another year, keeping him contracted with us until 2023.
The Portuguese defender arrived from Barnet in the summer, and if the season finished now he’d get my Player of the Season vote, and doubtless a few others as well. His start to life in a white shirt wasn’t good, a liability in fact, his deficiencies when it came to marking laid bare for all to see. But since then he’s been fantastic more often than not. There are very few players in the division who can cope with him physically, and he isn’t bad on the ball either, with the ability to take it into midfield.
Recently, as Ian Evatt switched to a back four, Almeida Santos has formed a strong partnership with Alex Baptiste, which has pretty much solidified itself as the first choice pairing now. It’s good to see a key asset, and one that had been touted as a player that could go on to a higher level, be tied down, and hopefully Ricardo is playing at a higher level next season. With Bolton.