Bolton Wanderers told they 'fumbled' Celtic deal - it's 'painful' | OneFootball

FLW's Bolton Wanderers fan pundit has given his reaction to missing out on the signing of Celtic striker Johnny Kenny to Preston North End.

It was a disappointing end to the summer transfer window for Bolton Wanderers as they missed out on some of their main transfer targets.

After winning promotion from League One last season, Bolton have made a decent start to life back in the Championship, picking up four points from their first four games, but deadline day certainly did not go as well as the Lancashire outfit would have hoped.

Bolton Wanderers dealt big Johnny Kenny blow as Preston North End strike Celtic deal

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Bolton suffered their second consecutive defeat as they were beaten 3-2 by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night, but if Romelle Donovan's 93rd-minute winner for the Blades was not frustrating enough for head coach Steven Schumacher, developments in the transfer market will have done little to improve his mood.

Striker Johnny Kenny spent the second half of last season on loan at the Toughsheet Community Stadium from Celtic, and he scored six goals and provided three assists in 14 appearances before injury cut his campaign short.

Wanderers were reportedly keen to bring Kenny back to the club this summer, with speculation about his potential return continuing until the final hours of the transfer window, but he eventually joined local rivals Preston North End for a fee of £3 million.

Kenny was not the only player Bolton failed to secure a deal for on deadline day, with a move for KAA Gent striker Max Dean falling through after the two clubs could not reach an agreement over a sell-on clause.

However, the Trotters did manage to get one striker signing over the line as they brought in Auxerre's Theo Bair, who scored 10 goals in 31 appearances during a temporary spell at Swiss top flight side Lausanne-Sport last season, on a season-long loan.

Bolton Wanderers fan reaction given to Johnny Kenny, Celtic transfer miss

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When asked for his reaction to missing out on Kenny, FLW's Bolton Wanderers fan pundit Liam O'Meara admitted that he was disappointed to see the 23-year-old join the club's near neighbours Preston, while he claimed that the Trotters have also inadvertently strengthened a potential relegation rival.

"I think Bolton have fumbled the Johnny Kenny deal," Liam told FLW.

"A lot of the messaging that we heard during the window was that he was primed to stay at Celtic, but that's proven not to be true.

"For him to go to Preston, taking the local rivalry element out of it, I think they are a team who are going to be in and amongst it with us at the end of the season.

"We've not only lost a player that would make us better, but we've allowed a direct rival to get in a player that has made them better.

"I'm not in charge of the Bolton finances, but that feels more painful to us than it would have been to do it.

"I think most people inside and outside the club will be really disappointed with how that has turned out."

Johnny Kenny, Preston North End deal could come back to haunt Bolton Wanderers

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While his campaign was curtailed by injury, Kenny was a popular figure during his loan spell at Bolton last season, and he would have been a useful addition to the squad for the Championship.

The fact that Kenny has joined a local rival in Preston will sting for Trotters supporters, but there is also every chance that the two clubs could be involved in a relegation battle together this season, with North End currently sitting bottom after losing all of their first four games.

With pressure building on Preston manager Paul Heckingbottom as his side's poor start continues, Kenny is not walking into the most stable of environments at Deepdale, but if he can score the goals to help turn the Lilywhites' fortunes around, the transfer miss could have big consequences for Bolton.