Bolton Wanderers should ignore £6m Hull City news and seal Celtic agreement | OneFootball

Hull City may be selling Mason Burstow this summer, but Bolton should have their eyes on making Johnny Kenny a permanent player instead

Bolton Wanderers are back in the Championship after seven years away, and they'll be looking to make a splash in the transfer market to ensure they stay there.

The higher-ups at the Toughsheet Stadium ensured that Steven Schumacher had all the on-field resources needed to secure a second personal promotion into the second tier, with top signings and loanees shining en route to their play-off victory against Stockport County at Wembley.

Now, though, these loanees are set to return to their parent clubs, and decisions will need to be made about whether any of them should be pursued again this summer to bolster the squad ahead of a gruelling Championship campaign.

One man who played a key role in Bolton's 2025/26 term was Mason Burstow, who arrived on loan from Hull City for the year. The 22-year-old had shown great potential in the Chelsea academy, but was unable to realise that in the Championship with Sunderland and then in East Yorkshire.

A short-term move to League One would have been an ideal way to prove himself ahead of a return to Hull, but the Tigers' recent heroics have almost deemed him expendable.

Indeed, Sergej Jakirovic led the club to an unthinkable promotion, meaning Burstow is a Premier League player. That likely won't be for long, though, as Hull Live have stated that £6 million has to be raised in player sales before July 1 at the MKM Stadium, and the frontman is one of six who could find themselves sold in the coming weeks.

Bolton Wanderers should aim to bring Johnny Kenny back permanently, rather than Mason Burstow

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With Burstow enjoying the best year of his senior career at Bolton, there will be clear links between the two parties for a permanent deal this summer, especially if Hull has to sell players this month.

However, the Trotters shouldn't be too eager to bring the 22-year-old back, and instead throw their eggs in the Johnny Kenny basket and try to persuade Celtic to agree to a permanent deal for the Irish frontman, who spent the latter half of last season at the Toughsheet.

Burstow began the campaign on fire at Bolton, scoring seven goals in his first 11 games. However, a scoreless run between that 11th game in October and the end of 2025 outlined the need for a new striker during the transfer window to help push Steven Schumacher's side in their quest for automatic promotion.

In the end, if Burstow had continued his form in front of goal, perhaps a starting striker wouldn't have been on the mid-season shopping list, and the fact that the Hull loanee ended the term netting just five more times is a little disappointing, given his fast start.

Nevertheless, in came Kenny, who the Trotters initially wanted to sign in the summer, on loan from Celtic until the end of the season, and while the goals didn't flow immediately, he would show why Steven Schumacher had admired him before the season began.

The 23-year-old scored six and assisted three times in 13 games, including a run of five goals in consecutive outings towards the business end of the year. Unfortunately, though, he wouldn't be able to play any part in the play-offs after sustaining knee ligament damage on the final day against Luton Town.

It was a premature end to what was a glowing loan spell, and many Bolton fans were worried that his absence would end up costing them promotion. Still, the rest of the frontline banded together to get the Trotters into the Championship, a division where Kenny has clear ability to be a top striker.

Johnny Kenny would be a statement signing for Bolton Wanderers this summer

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With the Championship looking as competitive as ever next season, there'll be an onus on the newly promoted sides to hit the ground running in the transfer window to give themselves the best chance at establishing themselves in the second tier.

Kenny would be a superb signing for Bolton this summer, given his ability to get into multiple goal-scoring positions per game and execute at a high level, too. Per Fotmob, last season, the 23-year-old averaged over 1.5 shots on target per game, and outperformed his expected goals by 1.5, too.

Having someone who can convert at that rate as a newly-promoted side, who will likely be creating fewer chances than some of their peers, is crucial, and having just turned 23 in early June, there's plenty of potential for the Irishman to grow even further at the Toughsheet.

It may be difficult, as Kenny did play a supporting role in the Celtic fold during the first half of the season, and the loan spell in the latter half could put him in good standing to make more inroads into Martin O'Neill's squad for next year.

But, if Bolton