Steven Schumacher drops new Bolton Wanderers transfer update and it's caused a reaction | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have made six signings thus far, but more are definitely needed before their Championship opener

There have been six new faces through the door at the Toughsheet Stadium already this summer, but the general consensus among Bolton Wanderers fans is that more needs to be done, and quickly.

The Trotters begin their first Championship campaign after a seven-year hiatus in two-and-a-half weeks, following their success in the League One play-offs at the third time of asking last season.

However, there's a bit of a worry amongst Bolton supporters that their squad isn't nearly ready for that curtain-raiser against Preston North End on August 15.

There was a real reliance on loan starts at the top end of the pitch at the Toughsheet Stadium last season, with the likes of Amario Cozier-Duberry, Mason Burstow, Ibrahim Cissoko and Johnny Kenny contributing massively over the year. Even the likes of Rob Apter and Corey Blackett-Taylor provided useful minutes after arriving on loan in January.

Furthermore, stalwart defender George Johnston and standout right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu were let go at the end of their contracts this summer, so they needed to be replaced. The likes of Luca Stephenson, Akin Famewo, Ben Davies and Gaizka Larrazabal will help do that, but the attacking areas still need addressing.

Steven Schumacher makes transfer admission — Bolton Wanderers fans have reacted

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With loan arrival Kyliane Dong making up the attacking reinforcements this summer, there's a worry that Bolton's squad as a whole is, in a way, worse than what it was at the end of last season, which isn't encouraging ahead of their first campaign back in the Championship.

Steven Schumacher's side drew 1-1 with League Two outfit Fleetwood Town in their most recent pre-season friendly on Tuesday night, and while no one should read into pre-season results, that, plus a lack of transfer activity, is getting Bolton fans worried.

Those worries were heightened after a clip of Schumacher's post-match interview was shared on X, in which he gave a seemingly frustrated reply regarding transfer news, shaking his head as the question was asked and stating, "No, nothing, no news," when asked about any potential incomings.

"He likes to play down stuff, but he looked annoyed here, no?" one Bolton fan speculated in the replies to that tweet. "Deary me if we don’t get at least 2 in by end of this week in serious bother," another said.

"He looks fuming. Don’t know whether that’s because of the performance or the behind the scenes. Or, well, lack of behind the scenes work," another added. "Hahaha, get your purse out, Sharon; he's fuming," one fan said, imploring their owners to back Schumacher in the transfer market soon.

Bolton fans have been on a gruelling journey to get back to the Championship, almost ceasing to exist in 2019 and then falling to League Two the following year, before their play-off heartache in the third tier over the past number of seasons.

They don't want their second-tier stay to last a year and end in relegation, but there's some worry that the players currently at the club don't stand much of a chance of keeping them up.

Bolton Wanderers are in a similar position to other Championship clubs regarding transfers — the outcry may be unjustified

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That six-second clip that was shared around Bolton's X pages was a small snippet of a longer interview following their draw with Fleetwood. Ultimately, there'd have been frustration about the result, even if it is just pre-season.

That frustration resulted in Steve Schumacher's rather brutal honesty, but he elaborated on the lack of activity further in the interview.

"We can't rush and just bring players in for the sake of it," the Bolton boss said. "If they don't have the right quality or personality or character, then that's not what we want to do; we have to make sure we get the right people in.

Ultimately, six new arrivals have Bolton amongst the busier transfer windows in the Championship thus far, and that's even with the nature of the World Cup slowing down any business, as top clubs wait to see what their state of play is, which impacts sides in the EFL.

Schumacher outlines that every manager will be feeling the same frustration at not having everyone through the door right now, and reiterated his liking of Kenny, who has been linked with a return from Celtic this summer.

Bolton fans, like any other, have a right to be concerned, as they head into a campaign as a smaller fish in a bigger pond for the first time in around six years.

With the step-up in level, there'd be expectations that the squad's quality would have been raised more by now, but after being backed massively in League One, there perhaps should be a little more expectation that the Bolton squad will be good enough, at least come September 1st.

The Trotters travel to Sheffield Wednesday in the first round of the EFL Cup to open their 2026/27 campaign on August 8, before their Championship return commences a week later.