Bolton Wanderers told what their "best hope" is when it comes to keeping Amario Cozier-Duberry | OneFootball

FLW's Bolton fan pundit believes a loan move could be explored once again for Amario Cozier-Duberry, if the Trotters are in the Championship

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…

There arguably hasn't been a better player in League One this season than Bolton Wanderers' Amario Cozier-Duberry.

The 20-year-old arrived at The Toughsheet Community Stadium on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion, desperate to find some form after a dud loan spell in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers, and he's more than done that.

Evidently, the former Arsenal youth academy product has settled in perfectly at Bolton, and coming off the back of a two-goal, two-assist performance in his last game against Port Vale, many are questioning how far the 20-year-old can go.

Ultimately, Bolton fans want Cozier-Duberry to remain at their club forever, given the way things are going, and are selfishly hoping that this type of form can only be exhibited at their club.

However, given how shrewd Brighton are with their transfer dealings, they'll likely want a lot more than Bolton can afford to sell him to Steven Schumacher's side permanently.

Bolton Wanderers fan pundit debates whether Amario Cozier-Duberry could sign for the club on a permanent basis

FLW's Bolton fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, acknowledges that Brighton will likely want too much for Cozier-Duberry based on his current form. That is, if they end up being open to selling the excited winger in the first place!

He has, however, given his best-case scenario regarding the 20-year-old's future at his club, and it does involve the Trotters being a second-tier side.

"I'd be very surprised if Brighton were even looking to sell him at the moment," he said.

"There'd only be so much value they could extract from Bolton, even as a Championship club, and I think a potential loan, as he'll only be 21 next season, could increase his value more.

"So, it's more a Brighton decision than a Bolton one."

So, a loan move back to The Toughsheet Community Stadium seems the only realistic option if Brighton were looking to part ways at all with Cozier-Duberry.

O'Meara does acknowledge that anything can happen in football, but he realistically can't see Bolton being able to afford the 20-year-old permanently in the summer.

"Brighton look for opportune moments to sell their players, and I'm not sure if this'll be the best time to even sell him," he continued.

"Our best hope is that a promotion could mean that we get to keep him for another season on loan, if he's settled and doing well.

"Anything can change in that time, but I'll be very surprised if Bolton are in a position to buy Cozier-Duberry in the summer."

A second loan is a more than viable option for Bolton Wanderers and Amario Cozier-Duberry next season, but only if Bolton go up

The way Cozier-Duberry and Bolton are playing, there's a large possibility that the Trotters could end up back in the Championship for the first time since the 2018/19 campaign come May, especially if Brighton allows the 20-year-old to see the season out there.

Then, the Seagulls will have another decision to make, and all logical roads point to a loan in the Championship to see whether the exciting winger can perform in the second tier, or if the form he showed at Blackburn continues.

Bolton will be hoping that, if they end up being a Championship club, they can continue to be the team that is trusted with the development of Cozier-Duberry, and if that does materialise, they'll be wishing for less of what happened at Ewood Park and more of the brilliance he has shown this season.

But that's an ideal scenario in nine or so months. For now, it's all about ensuring that Bolton are a Championship club next season, so the 20-year-old can return there in the summer.