The big George Thomason concern Wrexham AFC will have after Bolton deal | OneFootball

New Wrexham AFC midfielder must leave one bad trait at Bolton Wanderers behind

Wrexham AFC are gearing up for life in the EFL Championship, adding more aggression and power to their midfield in the summer transfer window.

The likes of Josh Windass and Liberato Cacace are expected to be a handful for the opposition and there’s another newcomer that’s sure to garner plenty of attention because of his aggressive nature.

Many of Wrexham’s players in League One will know one of their new teammates well, as George Thomason's physicality on the field is difficult to forget.

George Thomason’s resume before joining Wrexham

At the age of eight, George Thomason joined the Blackpool academy, with the youngster spending eight years there before being released.

While it didn’t work out for him in Lancashire, his career was only getting started, and Blackpool’s loss proved to be a huge gain for Bolton Wanderers, who signed him to their team in 2020. During his time with the Trotters, he quickly developed into a strong box-to-box midfielder who made a solid impact in Greater Manchester.

He was a part of the squad that earned a League Two promotion in the 2020-21 season, while also being named the club’s Young Player of the Year on that occasion. Thomason went on to capture the Vertu Trophy with Bolton in 2022-23. Last September, he was named the club captain despite being only 23 years old at the time.

He had four goals and three assists domestically for Bolton last season. Even with everything he’s achieved already, at 24, it feels as though there’s a lot more that he has left to do.

George Thomason brings plenty of attributes to Wrexham

It may not have been the biggest splash the club has made this summer, but the addition of George Thomason was met with positive reviews.

On July 21, the BBC announced that the man from Barrow-in-Furness had signed a three-year contract with Wrexham, in a deal worth £1.2 million (The Bolton News).

“It’s a really exciting time to be a part of the football club, and it’s going to be a really exciting season,” said Thomason via the BBC upon signing.

“We’re delighted to welcome George to the club,” said Phil Parkinson.

“We’re looking forward to getting him in training with the lads later this week and fully integrating him into the group.”

Parkinson isn’t the only manager with plenty of positive things to say about Thomason. In November 2020, his former manager at Bolton, Ian Evatt, told the Manchester Evening News: “George has something different to all the other midfield players.

“George positionally probably gets it the best out of them all than what we’re after with midfield players, in terms of the positions and pockets he picks up.”

In conclusion, Evatt said: “He (Thomason) also has a wonderful left foot and sees a pass and is a risk-taker.”

Thomason’s arrival ticks plenty of boxes for Parkinson's, including leadership, physicality, tactical awareness and vision. While his name isn’t always on the scoresheet, his presence is often felt when he’s on the pitch.

There’s no denying his skill sets could come in handy for the Red Dragons in the Championship, though he may have to compete with the likes of George Dobson and Ollie Rathbone when he’s healthy for playing time.

The big George Thomason concern Wrexham will have

Evatt wasn’t wrong when he referred to Thomason as a risk-taker, but not all risks come with rewards.

Let’s just say James McClean may have some competition on the team next season for the most hated player.

Thomason wasn’t only near the top of the goalscoring charts for Bolton last season, third on the team with three, but he was also near the top in the disciplinary ones.

Bolton had a squad full of aggressive players last season, led by Thomason, who had more yellow cards than any Trotter (11). He also committed an average of 1.9 fouls per 90, just below Josh Cogley and John McAtee, who averaged two a game according to FotMob. As a team in 2024-25, Bolton led League One in yellow cards per FotMob with 114, while they gave away the most penalties as well (nine), one of which was Thomason’s doing.

Wrexham need aggressive players, but Phil Parkinson needs to ensure the likes of Thomason don’t go overboard with that, or it could cost them points. You put him alongside McClean, who was also cautioned 11 times in League One last season per FotMob, and it could give this team a huge spark or see them self-combust, and the team need to ensure it isn’t the latter.

In their 46 league fixtures last season, 22 were decided by a single goal, many of which were pressure cookers in which they had to keep their composure and stay disciplined defensively.

That is unlikely to be any different when the Red Dragons begin the Championship campaign. Ultimately, it will be up to Thomason to keep his emotions in check in those critical moments.