Bolton Wanderers backed to push for Wrexham transfer - Steven Schumacher knows him well | OneFootball

FLW's Bolton Fan Pundit believes that Ryan Hardie would be a good addition from Wrexham in the January transfer window.

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...

Bolton Wanderers are in a good position in League One after a frustrating start with too many draws undermining what were good performances, but now they are looking up to challenge for the title once again in the third-tier.

The Trotters missed an opportunity to go to the top-of-the-table at the weekend as they were held to a goalless draw by fellow promotion contenders Bradford City at the Toughsheet Community Stadium but the Lancastrians remain in an excellent position in very good form.

Steven Schumacher was granted a major overhaul of the squad in the summer, with 14 new additions arriving and several previously key first-teamers departing, whether it be at the end of their contract, sold or loaned out.

As they approach the January transfer window, it has been reported by Alan Nixon that Bolton may seek to trim their squad this winter but there should still be an eagerness to add in key areas.

Strengthening the attack may well be one of them and, with FLW exclusively revealing that Ryan Hardie is considering an exit from Wrexham, who joined in the summer from Plymouth Argyle, Bolton may well be tempted to seek a reunion between Hardie and Schumacher.

Ryan Hardie would be a good addition for Bolton

Bolton signed both Mason Burstow and Sam Dalby in the summer with the former having enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign and the latter struggling with injury but still having notched three goals across all competitions, including a superb, vital header away at Huddersfield Town last month.

Beyond their, their out and out striking options include Victor Adeboyejo, who has yet to regain full match fitness since suffering a knee injury and February, while the likes of John McAtee and Marcus Forss have been preferred in more of a second striker or ‘number ten’ role.

With Wanderers perhaps looking to bolster their attacking ranks, FLW Fan Pundit Liam O’Meara doesn’t necessarily believe it would be a priority but that Hardie would still be a ‘good addition’ for the Whites.

Liam says: “I think Ryan Hardie would be a good addition to the Bolton side.

“I think it is going to be very difficult for Victor Adeboyejo to force his way back into first-team plans and it’s

probably not in his interest really to focus on Bolton.

“If he’s going to be fully fit in the next few weeks then he’s probably going to have to look at finding a club on loan where he can get regular minutes as that is in his best interests with his contract expiring next summer so it is in his best interests to leave.

“Then you look at Ryan Hardie, who has been very successful under Steven Schumacher before and it makes sense that Bolton should be interested in him.

“Goals aren’t really our issue at the minute, though, and I don’t think that striker should be our priority in the transfer window but I think that if someone who can score goals is available then we’d be silly not to look at that.”

Ryan Hardie has previously thrived under Steven Schumacher

Having been something of a journeyman striker in Scotland before a short stint at Blackpool, Ryan Hardie joined, as of then, Ryan Lowe’s Plymouth on loan in the 2019/20 campaign.

After an impressive spell where he helped the Pilgrims gain League Two promotion with seven goals in 13 games, Hardie then joined on loan again in League One before moving to Home Park on a permanent basis in January 2021.

Having been something of a bit-part player for Lowe in the third-tier, Hardie then hit 16 goals in 37 League One games in the 2021/22 season, with Schumacher having replaced Lowe in the dugout in early-December, with seven of his 16 goals coming in 17 appearances following the appointment of Schumacher.

The following year, Hardie was Plymouth’s top scorer with 17 goals across all competitions as Argyle won the division and gained promotion to the Championship.

In the Championship, Hardie scored 12 in 40 games in the 2023/24 campaign with half of those goals coming in 18 appearances for Schumacher, before the manager’s departure to Stoke City.

Correlation is not causation, but Hardie’s emergence into an effective striker for both Championship and League One level did come mainly under the management of Schumacher.

He is not a striker that would have expected nor wanted to have been playing third-tier football in the summer but an underwhelming stint at the Racecourse Ground may well present Bolton, as well as other League One clubs, with a superb market opportunity to pounce on.