Bolton Wanderers backed to beat Plymouth Argyle to Wrexham AFC transfer before February 2nd - 'it makes complete sense' | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have been backed to complete their move for Wrexham striker Ryan Hardie, who played under Steven Schumacher at Plymouth Argyle.

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…

Steven Schumacher is keen to add more quality to his Bolton Wanderers squad before the transfer window shuts on Monday, as the Greater Manchester club vie for promotion to the Championship.

Wanderers have put themselves firmly in the League One play-off picture, while automatic promotion remains a possibility for the Greater Manchester outfit.

Schumacher's men have made notable signings this winter, including the loan additions of Rob Apter and Corey Blackett-Taylor, who have joined from Championship outfits Charlton Athletic and Derby County, respectively.

However, Bolton know that they have plenty of work to do if they want to seal an automatic promotion spot, as the current top-two sides, Cardiff City and Lincoln City, are enjoying strong campaigns.

Bolton Wanderers backed to complete their move for Wrexham forward Ryan Hardie

Bolton have been linked with a move for Wrexham striker Ryan Hardie alongside the likes of Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle, as Schumacher looks to add more quality to his forward line ahead of the business end of the League One season.

The 28-year-old only joined the Red Dragons last summer, but he has struggled for game time in North Wales, making just six Championship appearances.

Football League World asked our Bolton fan pundit, Liam O'Meara, what he made of the deal and if he thought Hardie could be a big signing for Schumacher.

O'Meara told FLW: "I'm absolutely not surprised on this one. I think it's no secret that our strikers have looked a little bit goal-shy in the last couple of months. I think that Sam Dalby has really come into his own in terms of being a spearhead of the attack.

"So, having someone around him that can feed off all the opportunities that having an excellent target man can provide makes absolute sense. It's probably the least surprising transfer link of the window from where Bolton are. I would expect it to go through, to be completely honest.

"I think it makes sense for everybody. I know there's other interest there, but Ryan Hardie's best football has been with Steven Schumacher. We're not a million miles away from Wrexham, and we're at the top end of League One. I think it makes sense for everybody."

Ryan Hardie has the quality to fire Bolton back to the Championship

As per O'Meara's analysis, Bolton strikers such as Mason Burstow and Dalby have not been as prolific as they would have liked this season, albeit the latter showed his class with a brace in the recent 2-1 win over Burton Albion.

Therefore, Hardie is exactly the sort of striker that Wanderers need to fire them to the Championship.

The former Plymouth Argyle man produced a respectable return of 10 goals and three assists in 37 second-tier appearances last term, even though the Pilgrims were relegated back to League One.

He was previously a real asset in the third tier, scoring 13 league goals for Argyle in their promotion-winning 2022/23 campaign.

Excitingly for Bolton, Scumacher was Hardie's Plymouth manager when the striker helped the Pilgrims win the League One title, and the duo will be eager to return to the Championship together.