Bolton Wanderers took Burnley transfer gamble and never looked back | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers took a risk in moving on Marvin Sordell to rivals Burnley, but it turns out that the Trotters had the last laugh with this deal.

Bolton Wanderers have had their fair share of transfers over the years that have proven to be a bit of a risk, although some departures have proven to be smart moves by the club.

The Trotters' days of playing in the Premier League will feel like a distant memory to many of the club's supporters, and they made plenty of mistakes in their last spell in the top-flight.

However, nowadays, they're certainly heading in the right direction under the management of Steven Schumacher, which is pleasing to see for Bolton, who have been somewhat of a sleeping giant in the last ten years.

Bolton won promotion into the Championship via the League One play-offs, and will be eager to build on that success heading into next year's league campaign.

They last played in the second-tier of English football back in the 2018/19 season, although they had a prolonged spell in the Championship from 2012 through to 2016.

Plenty of players arrived and departed Bolton during that time, with some making more of an impact than others. We'll take a look back at one transfer in particular which surprised a few at the time.

Marvin Sordell's transfer from Bolton to Burnley

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The rivalry between Bolton Wanderers and Burnley is a fierce one, and the two are set to face off again this year in the Championship, which is set to be an eagerly-anticipated clash between both teams.

One player that has played for both Bolton and Burnley is Marvin Sordell. The forward started his career with Watford, but moved to Bolton in January 2012 on a three-year deal for a fee believed to be in the region of £3m.

There were high hopes that Sordell would go on to justify that hefty transfer fee that the Trotters stumped up for his services, but he ultimately failed to make a notable impact.

Sordell couldn't save Bolton from being relegated from the Premier League in his first six months with the club, and he was soon playing Championship football once again.

He netted eight goals in 26 appearances for Bolton's first-team the following season, which included a brace in an FA Cup replay against Sunderland, but on the whole, the striker found regular game time hard to come by.

Bolton won't have regretted selling Sordell to rivals

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Sordell spent a season on loan with Charlton Athletic, where he showed glimpses of his quality, before returning to Bolton. His stay with the Trotters was a brief one though, as he signed for Burnley on a three-year deal after they won promotion into the Premier League.

That move to Turf Moor never paid off for Sordell though, and he struggled to make a notable impact with them. Sordell was then released from Burnley ahead of the 2015/16 season, where he went on to sign for Colchester United, where he again found it tough to score goals on a regular basis, this time in the third-tier of English football.

Moves to Coventry City, Burton Albion, and Kettering Town weren't too convincing in terms of his goal tally, and he's most recently been on the books with Uxbridge in the Southern League Premier Division South.

Bolton won't have any regrets in moving Sordell on to Burnley, as his career didn't kick on after a move to Turf Moor, which would have been frustrating to take for the striker, as he'd shown promise in the early stages of his time in professional football.