Contract situation should give Bolton Wanderers hope despite £400k transfer blow: View | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers should look to make a third offer for Kilmarnock's Daniel Armstrong given his contract situation.

Highlights

Bolton Wanderers supporters will be hoping there is plenty more transfer business to come for the Trotters.

The Lancashire side is heading into their fourth consecutive campaign in League One, hoping this will be the one where they return to the second tier.

Ian Evatt’s side have come ever so close in the last two seasons to being promoted to the Championship, but have fallen short at the final hurdle.

The aim will be to go one step further than last season, after they made it all the way to the play-off final but were beaten by Oxford United.

Bolton have already been busy bringing new faces into the club, with Luke Southwood, Chris Forino, and Klaidi Lolos all joining in recent weeks.

But they don’t look to be stopping there, as it’s been reported in the past week that the club has seen a bid rejected by Peterborough United for Joel Randall, and they have also seen multiple bids turned down for Kilmarnock winger Daniel Armstrong.

It is clear that Bolton are looking to strengthen their midfield, in particular the wide area, and if that is the case, then the club should try and make one final offer for Armstrong, given his current situation.

Bolton Wanderers see two bids rejected for Daniel Armstrong

According to the Daily Mail, via the Daily Record (live transfer blog, 9:43), Bolton Wanderers have seen not one but two bids rejected by Kilmarnock for winger Daniel Armstrong.

The Scotsman has been with the Scottish Premiership side since July 2021, after joining the club on a free transfer from Raith Rovers.

Armstrong has entered the final year of his contract at the club, and this report states that manager Derek McInnes has made it clear that he wants the player to sign a new contract, but there has been no agreement as of yet.

Given his situation at Kilmarnock, the Trotters have been trying to lure the player away, with it being reported that the club have had two bids rejected, with their best offer being around the £400,000 mark.

But the Scottish side have said no. They want to retain the player at all costs, despite his contract running down.

Bolton should make fresh offer for Daniel Armstrong given contract situation

Bolton have not had just one bid rejected for Daniel Armstrong; it is claimed that they have seen two bids turned down by Kilmarnock.

Therefore, that suggests that the Trotters hold a strong interest in the player and are very keen on signing him in this transfer window.

Now, Bolton being in League One means they don’t have unlimited resources, so they cannot afford to splash a big sum of money on one player.

A bid worth £400,000 is a lot of money for Bolton, so the club will likely be reluctant to go in for a fresh offer, especially when you consider that the player has just 12 months left on his contract.

However, it is that which should encourage Bolton to decide that they should look to increase that offer slightly, as Kilmarnock may get to a point where they have to sell, even if they don’t want to.

Armstrong has one year left on his contract and the fact that Bolton are offering him a chance to play in England, and potentially the Championship if the club are promoted, may swing it in the favour of the Trotters if they make a third offer.

It is understandable why the League One side is interested in signing Armstrong, too. The player was exceptional for Kilmarnock last season.

The 26-year-old started 37 of the club’s 38 league games, averaging 81 minutes on the pitch per game.

In that time, Armstrong scored six goals, which possibly could have been more, given he was averaging 1.9 shots per game and missed three big chances.

It was an impressive return for Armstrong in terms of goals, but for an attacking player, he would need to slightly improve in that area. As compared to Bolton’s players last season, he would have ranked sixth, alongside midfielder George Thomason.

However, that puts him ahead of both Randell Williams and Josh Dacres-Cogley, who are two players Armstrong would likely be fighting against for a starting spot.

But it was his creativity that was so impressive. He created a staggering 25 big chances for his teammates, collecting 2.5 key passes, all of which helped him grab 10 assists, as per Sofascore.com.

In terms of assists, Armstrong would be right up there as one of Bolton’s most creative players, according to Sofascore.com. He would be alongside Aaron Collins, who also collected 10 last season, but two behind the Trotters’ most creative threat, Josh Sheehan.

When you compare Armstrong’s numbers to the Bolton players from last season, it is easy to understand why the club is interested in the player. He would no doubt improve the team, bringing goals and assists from out wide.

Therefore, given he is in the final 12 months of his contract, Bolton should look to test Kilmarnock’s resolve for a third time and try to lure Armstrong out of the club.