8 players are set to leave Bolton Wanderers in 2026 if nothing changes - Jordi Osei-Tutu features | OneFootball

The Trotters have a host of players whose contracts are up for renewal before the season's end - Steven Schumacher will have some decisions to make...

Bolton Wanderers experienced an extremely busy summer transfer window as Steven Schumacher transformed the Trotters squad with 14 new signings and plenty of previously key first-teamers departing.

Nathan Baxter, Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones were among those to depart the club on free transfers before the sales of the likes of Luke Southwood, George Thomason, Klaidi Lolos and Aaron Collins were sanctioned. Carlos Mendes Gomes and Szabolcs Schon also departed the Toughsheet Community Stadium on loan.

Despite that major change over the summer, there is still a fair bit of uncertainty surrounding the current squad, too, with Alan Nixon reporting that Bolton will be willing to let go of some players in the January transfer window, too, with Will Forrester specifically mentioned.

As Bolton continue to evolve away from the Ian Evatt era, there are also as many as eight players currently set to be out of contract in the summer of 2026.

Football League World has taken a look at the eight players, headlined by former Arsenal man Jordi Osei-Tutu, who are not too far away from leaving the Whites unless something changes in their contractual situation.

Victor Adeboyejo

Following the departure of Dapo Afolayan to St Pauli, Victor Adeboyejo was the marquee addition in the January transfer window of 2023, amid plenty of other attacking arrivals such as Shola Shoretire, Dan Nlundulu and Cameron Jerome.

Adeboyejo has had his moments at Bolton, but supporters have never entirely been convinced by the former Burton Albion man, who arrived for a reported fee of £500,000.

Injuries have also plagued the 27-year-old and, despite being included in Bolton’s squad for this season and having returned to first-team training a few weeks ago, he is yet to feature in a match day squad in the 2025/26 campaign.

Previously the subject of interest from Turkey, it appears an inevitability that Bolton will have to take a hefty loss on Adeboyejo next summer, if not sooner.

Cyrus Christie

Having signed a one-year deal right before the close of the summer transfer window, following his release from Swansea City, Cyrus Christie has steadily become a key member of the Bolton squad.

Perhaps still seen as the back-up to Josh Dacres-Cogley at right-back, Christie’s Bolton debut was played at centre-back in a 1-0 defeat of Rotherham United in the EFL Trophy and his versatility and experience is invaluable.

The 33-year-old former Republic of Ireland international defender is in the middle of some good form and the rest of this campaign, for both him and Bolton, will determine where he plays his football next season — Wanderers do hold a 12-month option on his contract though.

Josh Dacres-Cogley

Availability is a very underrated quality in an EFL player and Josh Dacres-Cogley has gained a reputation for being pretty much always available, and so the signing of Christie is well-timed with the ex-Birmingham City man actually this season picking up a couple of knocks.

The 29-year-old defender, who will be 30 by the end of the campaign, often receives criticism from Bolton supporters, but it does appear a lot of that stems from him not being as effective in the final third as former Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley, who has since gone on to bigger and better things.

Dacres-Cogley put in good shifts at right wing-back under Evatt but has certainly improved in a more preferred position as an out-and-out right-back, and, again, his future will likely be determined by the remainder of this campaign.

Kyle Dempsey

Regardless of what division Bolton find themselves in next season, one man who appears destined to leave at the end of his contract is Kyle Dempsey.

Injury-prone for the last 18 months or so, Dempsey has been a fan favourite for Bolton, and they have been boosted by his recent return with the 30-year-old even starting their recent clash against Bradford City, in which he also played quite well.

However, despite providing Bolton fans with brilliant moments and memories, none more so than his stellar performance in a 4-0 thrashing of Schumacher’s Plymouth Argyle in the EFL Trophy final in April 2023, there would have to be reasonable concerns over his quality and durability to play in the second-tier or as a regular for a team pushing for third-tier promotion next season.

Will Forrester

Linked with Stockport County in the summer, Will Forrester was one of the standout performers in the early reign of Schumacher, but injury has limited him to just one start, in the EFL Trophy against Oldham Athletic, so far this season.

Now fully fit, the former Stoke City centre-back has found himself way down the pecking order behind the likes of captain Eoin Toal, vice-captain George Johnston and Saint Lucia international Chris Forino.

He signed for a reported fee of £200,000 in the summer of 2023, and so he does appear the prime candidate to be sold in January as Bolton seek to recoup at least some of that.

George Johnston

George Johnston is in the middle of an excellent run of form after some shaky performances at the start of this season, following a really poor individual campaign in 2024-25.

Like a lot of players, Johnston is some way off being the player he was before an ACL injury in the summer of 2023, which saw him miss the entirety of the following campaign.

However, the former Feyenoord defender is still in his prime years at the age of 27, and his quality is known about. Should he continue to find consistency at his current level, then it would be no surprise to see him stay, despite reported interest from Championship clubs Queens Park Rangers and Preston North End a few months ago.

Tyler Miller

One of Bolton’s final signings this summer was that of goalkeeper Tyler Miller on a free transfer, following his departure from Notts County.

The 32-year-old, who has been called up to the United States’ national team in the past, has had a mixed time of it at Bolton, with appearances limited to cup competitions.

Mistakes against Sheffield Wednesday in the EFL Cup and Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup have made fans wary of Miller, but he has also pulled off some excellent saves, notably in victories against Rotherham and Manchester City’s under-21's side in the EFL Trophy.

Jordi Osei-Tutu

Jordi Osei-Tutu is a player whereby his actual position remains a mystery, with many now believing him to be an out-and-out winger, despite a complete lack of goals and assists.

The former Arsenal and Bochum man joined in the summer of 2024 and appeared the ideal profile of player to play at either left wing-back or right wing-back, and he has still been seen by Schumacher as a defender on occasion this season, too.

Harmed by not being as defensively good enough to get in ahead of Christie or Dacres-Cogley at right-back, but also not nearly effective enough to be a starting winger in a fully fit side, Osei-Tutu is in no man's land at the moment, with regards to his future.