Tom Jenkins looks at how, if used properly, the loan market could be what keeps Bolton afloat…
With the closure of the transfer window under a week ago came a sense of disappointment among Bolton fans as we failed to bring in any extra reinforcements on that last day to a team that, on paper, appears to need it. We sit second bottom having only scored one goal and, from outside looking in, things appear bleak. However, salvation is at hand with the opening of the loan window tomorrow. Since our relegation we have relied on this source of playing staff greatly and it has got us out of lumber, no more so than last year. The million dollar question is whether this system will merely just save Bolton or actually help us progress.
So far, looking at our recent history, the answer appears to be the former. In October 2013 we were galvanised by the loan window after a winless start when Neil Danns, Kevin McNaughton and Liam Feeney joined the club. Two are still here and the other came back for a second spell. These kinds of loans were great at the time because they were players fighting for contracts and keen to make a difference. For me, the mistake was bringing them back. Feeney and Danns have never reached the heights of their first loan spells and have shown that in reality they are mediocre Championship players. The desire when they first joined has gone and though many will hate me for saying it, this is the reason I am now glad we didn`t regain Lukas Jutkiewicz (who I do wish a speedy recovery from his knee injury). Juke was a hero during his time at Bolton but he needed to be to find a new club. Needless to say his time at Burnley hasn`t been fruitful at all.
I am not saying these individuals conned us but there is a reason why they were available for loan in the first place, especially when you consider the majority come from fellow Championship clubs. This is where the loan system becomes a problem as often the players brought in are sub-standard and were only bought because they were A- affordable and B- desperate to prove themselves. The way around this is to look at younger, hungrier players when searching the loan market. Rather than go for the 30 year old squad player who used to be great, go for the almost-ready 20 year old who just wants to play the game. This is a win/win situation for both clubs big and small as one gains a talented player, the other gets back a more experienced one. This is what Bolton used to do and it worked wonders for us.
I`m sure nobody reading this will have anything but fond memories of Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere and even Vladimir Weiss (a man I loved to watch when he was here). Two of these played at the last World Cup but they cut their teeth at the Macron (Reebok at the time) which gave them the Premier League familiarity needed to make the next step to stardom. Obviously we aren`t going to get players like that at the moment but learning in the Championship wouldn`t be a bad thing for some youngsters. If anything it will certainly toughen them up.
The loan system is one that has to be used with care as even by trying to bring in younger players doesn`t always work (see Gael Kakuta and Dedryck Boyata). Wellington looks a good shout at the moment but there are still, for me, some top youngsters out there who would jump at the chance to play in this team which already has enough experience at this level. If you are a young striker with everything to prove then Bolton is the club for you. A quick glance at our history will show you just that.