Steven Schumacher must be licking his Bolton Wanderers lips at Rotherham United situation | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers were keen on Rotherham United forward Sam Nombe in the winter transfer window.

Bolton Wanderers are highly likely to finish in a League One play-off spot, whereas third-tier rivals Rotherham United are set to suffer relegation to League Two, and will have to part company with some of their assets this summer.

Wanderers retain an outside chance of beating Cardiff City to an automatic promotion spot, but finishing elsewhere in the top six appears significantly more likely.

Meanwhile, Rotherham are 11 points adrift of safety with just six League One games remaining, giving them little chance of avoiding the drop to the fourth tier.

The Millers have not been in League Two since 2013, and have instead become accustomed to bouncing between the Championship and the third tier in recent years.

Steven Schumacher and Bolton Wanderers will be delighted by Rotherham United demise amid Sam Nombe interest

Rotherham's likely relegation fate means that the South Yorkshire outfit will have to part company with some of their best assets for a lower price than they would have liked this summer.

The New York Stadium outfit's star player is striker Sam Nombe, who has scored nine goals in 25 League One appearances so far this season.

He also showed his attacking class last term by notching 14 goals and five assists in 43 third-tier outings.

The Bolton News revealed in January that Wanderers were interested in Nombe, but were ultimately unwilling to pay the £2million fee that Rotherham wanted for his services.

However, once the Millers' relegation to League Two is confirmed, they will be unable to demand such a high price for the 27-year-old's signature.

Furthermore, Nombe himself will rightfully believe that he is too good to ply his trade in the fourth tier, further bolstering Bolton's chances of being able to sign him in a cut-price deal.

Wanderers boss Schumacher will surely be delighted by the fact that he can sign one of his transfer targets for a cheap price in the summer transfer window.

Nombe's physicality could mean that his hold-up play is better than that of fellow striker Sam Dalby, who has scored 10 goals in League One for Bolton this season.

Furthermore, amid a summer that is set to bring plenty of change, Celtic may be unwilling to allow Johnny Kenny to sign for Schumacher's men permanently, at the end of his current loan stint.

The 22-year-old proved his worth by scoring in Easter weekend encounters with Plymouth Argyle and Stockport County, but Nombe's Rotherham exploits show that he is an equally capable third-tier striker.

Furthermore, having reached double figures across all competitions for the struggling Millers this term, Nombe would be better for a significantly more free-scoring Bolton side.

Sam Nombe signing could be risky for Bolton Wanderers if they achieve promotion

Bolton have enjoyed a largely successful League One campaign, and deservedly sit fourth in the table with just five games remaining.

However, the Greater Manchester club won't want to stop there, and will be keen to either beat Cardiff to automatic promotion or land their long-awaited Championship return via the play-offs.

Wanderers have not featured in the second tier since their relegation in 2019, and Schumacher is eager to be the man to finally steer them out of League One.

However, if the North West side clinch promotion to the Championship, Nombe may not be a shrewd signing, regardless of his smaller transfer fee.

The former Exeter City man has excelled in the third tier for Rotherham, but he has previously struggled to make an impact in the second tier.

Nombe's last Championship campaign was the 2023/24 season in which he scored just three goals in 41 league appearances for the Millers.

He has proven to be a reliable League One goalscorer since then, but there is no guarantee that he will be able to adjust to the demands of the second tier.

Somewhat ironically, he would be a better signing for Bolton if they actually fail to win promotion.

However, there is no doubt that Schumacher will be delighted by the fact that one of his transfer targets will be available for a cheaper price, thanks to Rotherham's struggles.