"Vital" - Steven Schumacher urged to make key Bolton Wanderers signings before 1 September | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have been urged to move for a striker with whom they've been connected all summer and a defender, before the transfer window closes.

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 have had a mixed start to their League One season.

The Trotters have recorded a win and a loss from their opening two league matches against Stockport and Plymouth respectively, followed up by an EFL Cup defeat on penalty kicks to Sheffield Wednesday in midweek.

With twelve new players having arrived at the club over the summer, it is perhaps no major surprise that Steven Schumacher's team is taking a little while to gel together.

And with more than two weeks to go until the end of the summer transfer window, there is still further remedial action that Bolton could take to plug any gaps in their first-team squad.

Steven Schumacher sent clear Bolton Wanderers transfer message

With there still being time for Bolton to bring in further reinforcements before the window closes, Football League World spoke to our Bolton fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, to ask him for two players that his club could realistically bring in before the window slams shut.

Liam's first choice was for a new left-side defender: "I think we need a left-sided centre-back and there's not too many of them about at the moment, but one that I think may be a good fit is Lewis Freestone.

"We need players who can play at both centre-back and full-back on that left-hand side, particularly if George Johnstone is linked to a potential move to the Championship."

Liam takes a holistic view of why filling this gap is necessary and why Freestone, who currently plays for Stevenage, would be a good choice: "I think Freestone represents good versatility in that position, and he's had a pretty decent upward trajectory in his career.

"At 25, he's a good age in terms of sell-on if he were to be successful at Bolton. So that's the absolute first one I would look to do."

The other player on his wish-list is a striker with whom Bolton have been connected for much of this summer: "The second one is Johnny Kenny at Celtic, who we've been linked to all window.

"I do believe we need a third striker who is capable of playing week in, week out. In a world of five substitutes, if one gets injured, you need a number two, so I think it's vital to our promotion chances to have that.

"It would also give us the option of playing two up front if we wanted or needed to. So they'd be my two; I'm more open on the left-sided centre-back, but Freestone is the one who comes to mind."

Johnny Kenny's contract extension may make him a tall order for Bolton

Soccer Football - Europa Conference League - Rapid Vienna v Shamrock Rovers - Allianz Stadion, Vienna, Austria - November 28, 2024 Shamrock Rovers' Johnny Kenny in action with Rapid Vienna's Nenad Cvetkovic REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl

Lewis Freestone's career is on an upward trajectory, but his incline has been fairly gentle so far.

Unable to break into the first team at his first club, Peterborough United, he was loaned out to a handful of different non-league clubs before being picked up Brighton's development squad in 2019.

This didn't work out, and he was released a year later, being picked up by Cheltenham Town. He made his breakthrough at Whaddon Road, making over 100 appearances for the club before signing for Stevenage in 2024.

Johnny Kenny has been the subject of speculation all summer. He's been at Celtic since 2022 after joining from the Irish club Sligo Rovers, but has only managed a handful of first-team appearances for them, spending the majority of his time out on loan, first at Queen's Park and then back in Ireland with Shamrock Rovers.

Bolton are still reported to be in the hunt for a back-up option in attack, but Kenny's now signed a contract extension with Celtic to 2029, and he made a 13-minute appearance from their bench in their recent SPFL game against St Mirren.

Signing a contract extension doesn't mean that Kenny will definitely stay at Celtic Park all season, but it doesn't make it more likely that he'll be heading south before the end of the transfer window, either.