Bolton Wanderers should eye move for Norwich City winger despite Cozier-Duberry boost | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers should make a move for Norwich City winger Tony Springett as cover for Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry.

Bolton Wanderers have enjoyed an excellent recent run of form with Steven Schumacher’s Trotters having now risen to third in the League One table as they chase a long-awaited return to the Championship.

After a frustrating, draw-laden start to the campaign, Bolton have begun to find their feet and the man that has been key to that is Brighton and Hove Albion loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry.

Cozier-Duberry has had more memorable moments during his short stint at the Toughsheet Community Stadium than many very good players will have during their careers.

Signs were there in pre-season and from a dominant display against Plymouth Argyle to a last-gasp long-range equaliser against Leyton Orient, Cozier-Duberry has grown into arguably the very best player in the division.

An assist and then a goal in second-half stoppage-time to turn things around against Huddersfield Town last month before another long-range last-gasp strike to defeat Cardiff City has since been followed by a stellar performance in a 4-0 hammering of Port Vale in which he scored twice and provided two assists, too.

The former Arsenal winger has been the reported subject of interest from Sheffield United, among others, for the January transfer window, but it has now been reported that Brighton have no plans on recalling the former Blackburn Rovers loanee, allowing he and Bolton to enjoy their happy coupling for a few more months just yet.

However, despite that extremely positive news, Wanderers must not be complacent in the upcoming summer transfer window and a move for another winger should still be a priority.

Steven Schumacher must strengthen the depth in Bolton’s wide options despite Amario Cozier-Duberry boost

Over the summer, as Steven Schumacher recruited to a different shape, as he wanted, Bolton embarked upon a recruitment drive focused around wide men, and they brought in Cozier-Duberry alongside Thierry Gale, Ibrahim Cissoko and Charlie Warren.

On the final day of the transfer window, Szabolcs Schon and Carlos Mendes Gomes departed the club on loan, leaving Jordi Osei-Tutu, a natural attacking right-back, to occasionally fill in further up the pitch when injuries occur.

The form of Cissoko and the perhaps slightly stunted development of Warren, as well as a couple of injuries to Gale, have left Wanderers appearing reasonably short out-wide, despite their summer activity.

There were reports linking them with Salford City winger Kelly N’Mai, and it wouldn’t be a major shock to see them reignite that interest given the potential the 21-year-old has, but a different profile of player will be required first and foremost.

Gale and Cissoko are the right-footed left-wingers preferred by Schumacher, with Osei-Tutu capable of also playing out there, but there is no real effective cover for Cozier-Duberry, with Warren having not made a League One appearance since their first home game of the campaign.

Bolton should target a move for Norwich winger Tony Springett

The issue for this sort of recruitment for Bolton and Schumacher will be identifying and signing someone who will be aware, let alone content, with the importance of Cozier-Duberry.

Not only do they have to be someone who can specifically play in a similar way as a left-footed right-winger, given the fact that Bolton’s attack gets naturally funnelled to that side, they would have to accept they will be second fiddle and a rotation player to Cozier-Duberry.

Tony Springett is a player that would bring with him experience of playing in the third-tier already, having spent time on loan at Derby County in the 2022/23 season and then at Northampton Town in the 2023/24 campaign.

Springett has made 17 first-team appearances for Norwich, and has been in and around the first-team squad at Carrow Road this season having made four Championship matchday squads so far, though he is yet to play in the Championship this time around.

Springett would represent a player that, at 23, still has a good amount of potential but the former Republic of Ireland youth international is not necessarily someone that could, would or should demand more minutes ahead of Cozier-Duberry.

Despite that, given his age and lack of senior action in recent times, he would surely jump at the chance to go and have the opportunity to carve out a bigger role elsewhere in the EFL, and potentially put himself in the shop window for a permanent move away from Carrow Road.

A useful squad player is required for Bolton in that position, given the departure of Schon, stagnation of Warren and a lack of other alternatives.