"I do believe" - Steven Schumacher backed with Bolton Wanderers set for triple exit | OneFootball

Schumacher is facing a key rebuilding job in the North West

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It hasn't been the most ideal of starts for Steven Schumacher at Bolton Wanderers, as his new club fell 10 points short of a spot in the League One play-offs.

The entire campaign has been one of mixed fortunes at the Toughsheet Community Stadium as the former third-tier title winner replaced Ian Evatt on January 30th, before winning seven, drawing three and losing nine of his first 19 games in the hotseat.

Such is the expectancy which surrounds a club of the Whites' stature in the division, a major rebuilding task is on the agenda after a season of underperformance, with the end of the campaign also set to be the end of the road for stalwarts Gethin Jones and Ricardo Santos, as well as goalkeeper Nathan Baxter.

It is a ruthless call which the 41-year-old will hope pays off in the long-term, and certainly one which our Trotters fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, has got behind.

The aforementioned trio have featured 467 times for the club between them, with Jones and Santos having been on a journey with Bolton that began in League Two under Evatt, and has seen them reach the third-tier play-offs twice as well as an EFL Trophy success in 2023 - ironically over Schumacher's Plymouth Argyle side.

However, speaking to FLW, O'Meara is of the viewpoint that there has to be little room for sentiment, and that the Liverpudlian has made the correct decision when it comes to all three players.

"I do believe its the right choice for a number of reasons," he began. "We'll start with Gethin Jones.

"I do think he's been a very good signing for Bolton, considering he was signed as a League Two player to compete with Jak Hickman on that right-wing back position.

"He has deputised a lot at right-centre-back for us and has been full-centre of the Ian Evatt era at Bolton Wanderers. Arguably, his form hasn't been there for a couple of years now, and that will affect how a lot of Bolton fans see him. But, I do think it's the right time for him and us to move on."

Our fan pundit then turned his attention to Santos, who enjoyed a fine first season at the club back in 2020/21 and has been club captain for four-and-a-half years.

"In terms of Rico Santos, very similar situation," he explained. "This season, particularly, has been hampered a lot by injury.

"I think that he is likely to be one of our higher earners if we were to renew his contract, and we are looking to invest more in the squad and bring fresh faces in.

"It's a position we have a lot of players in. And, I don't think he's been the same player for a couple of years now, like Gethin Jones," O'Meara claimed. "I think it'll be good for him and us, he'd probably get a good contract somewhere else."

Baxter is also reaching the end of his two-year stint at Bolton having signed a two-year contract in 2023, replacing the services of current Burnley 'keeper James Trafford between the sticks.

"Lastly, Nathan Baxter. This is probably the most surprising one in the sense that, for a long time under Ian Evatt, he was our undisputed number one," our fan pundit claimed.

"Even Sharon Brittan, in her end-of-season notes last season, pinpointed his injury as the sole reason we didn't get promoted.

"If you look at the previous season when we lost the play-off final, the points we dropped in the period he was injured would have got us automatics ahead of Derby. Obviously, you can't go back.

"He has struggled a little bit this season when he has been in the team," O'Meara added.

"The signing of Luke Southwood on a free, whose contract goes beyond this summer, there's not much between them in my view. If Baxter's wages can be used elsewhere in the squad as part of the rebuild, then Bolton are going to look at that as an opportunity to invest.

He concluded: "I probably agree with all three (decisions)."

Steven Schumacher already showing signs of Bolton Wanderers rebuild

According to ESTIMATED figures from Capology, Wanderers are said to have the sixth-highest wage bill in League One this season with an annual figure of £6.75m, of which approximately £3.3m is said to come from the goalkeeping and defensive department.

Given their status at the club, as O'Meara alluded to, it wouldn't be a surprise if Santos was already among the highest earners and would likely see that increase in the unlikelihood that he was to be kept on the books.

However, it has since been exclusively revealed by FLW that Bolton are lining up a summer move for Sean Roughan of Lincoln City, with the 21-year-old impressing alongside the likes of Paudie O'Connor at the heart of Michael Skubala's defence which shipped 14 fewer goals than the Whites.

FLW also exclusively revealed last week that Schumacher's side have joined local rivals Wigan Athletic and Blackpool in pursuit of Niall Ennis from Stoke City, with the striker no stranger to the Scouser or his previous assistant, Ryan Lowe, who is overseeing matters at the Brick Community Stadium.

If Bolton were able to secure the services of these two players, supporters would no doubt be impressed with the early stages of said rebuild, as it is imperative they are battling for promotion in a tough third-tier that will now include Plymouth, Luton Town, Cardiff City, Doncaster Rovers, Port Vale and Bradford City.