Johnny Kenny sends message to Bolton Wanderers fans with Celtic future in limbo | OneFootball

Johnny Kenny enjoyed a productive loan spell with Bolton Wanderers after arriving in January from Celtic and his future in Scotland is in limbo...

Bolton Wanderers did not need Johnny Kenny to get past Stockport County and win the League One play-off final at Wembley against Stockport County, but the Celtic loanee had an excellent stint under Steven Schumacher.

The Irishman joined Celtic from Sligo Rovers in 2022, with numerous loans since joining the Scottish giants. He bagged 26 goals in 76 games for Shamrock Rovers across two separate stints, but Bolton Wanderers moved to sign him in January.

Kenny has seven goals and three assists for Celtic overall, with the majority of his 32 appearances from the bench. He scored six and assisted two before joining Bolton, with this being a real breakout campaign for the 22-year-old.

All 14 of his Bolton appearances came in League One, scoring six and assisting three. That kind of impact helped them to achieve a play-off place but an injury against Luton Town meant Kenny missed all three of the semi-final and final games.

Johnny Kenny's message after Bolton Wanderers gain promotion

In Kenny's absence, Sam Dalby, Mason Burstow, and John McAtee stepped up. The former was instrumental in changing the game from the bench in the final against Stockport.

But Bolton's forward line looks like needing a revamp this summer, given the volume of players in on loan. Kenny is one, but Amario Cozier-Duberry, Rob Apter, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Ibrahim Cissoko, Marcus Forss, and Burstow are the others.

The club will have to figure out how many of those they want to retain, be that on another loan or on a permanent basis. Kenny is one of those, with the striker's quick and energetic running perhaps vital to a side with more space to break into in the Championship next term.

Given how little he has been used at Celtic previously, his future is certainly in limbo. Amid that uncertainty, Kenny has taken to Instagram to reflect on his spell with Bolton in the latter half of 2025/26.

Celtic's Johnny Kenny should be a Bolton player again next season

It's hard to ascertain whether that is in any way a goodbye message or not, but it would perhaps be best for all parties for Kenny to end up at Bolton in some capacity in the summer.

He has three years left on his contract with Celtic, so perhaps another loan could work? Many of the replies are begging for "one more year" from Kenny. A loan could mean he is even more valuable in a year's time, or comes back to Celtic developed enough for them to consider more regular minutes.

Realistically, if a permanent move is there to be done, then Bolton should try to do it. They have very few permanent assets under 25 in their forward line, which Kenny would certainly be if brought in.

Their issue is that Celtic might ask for more money now they are a Championship team again, with their financial situation improving overnight after Sunday's win over Stockport.

The other question to ask is whether Kenny can step up to the English second tier? His early signs at Bolton are positive, but it is undoutbedly a big jump for many players...