If Bolton Wanderers sign Alassana Jatta these 3 players could benefit like David McGoldrick | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers are interested in Notts County striker Alassana Jatta and his arrival could help out a few other Bolton players.

As Bolton Wanderers prepare for their first full transfer window under the management of Steven Schumacher, the Trotters are expected to be very busy in the next couple of months, with a striker surely a priority.

Football League World has recently exclusively revealed that that striker may well be Notts County’s Alassana Jatta, with Wanderers said to be interested in the 26-year-old Gambia international.

Wanderers sold Dion Charles to Huddersfield Town in the January transfer window and have left themselves with just one out-and-out striker left at the club in the form of injury-prone Victor Adeboyejo.

The likes of Aaron Collins and John McAtee tried to play as a number nine at different stages but their maverick, floaty tendencies often led to Bolton missing a focal point in the final third.

As well as his impressive goalscoring record in League Two, Jatta also proved to be an excellent foil for the brilliant David McGoldrick, who shone for the Magpies last season in an almost free role, able to roam and pick up pockets of space in key attacking areas of the pitch.

Wanderers will hope that the signing of Jatta cannot only get them a reliable source of goals, but also potentially unlock and allow some other key players to develop and flourish. FLW has looked at some of the standout names that may well benefit the Trotters next season.

Joining from Bristol Rovers in the winter transfer window of 2024, Collins immediately fitted in well at the Toughsheet Community Stadium and was a key man at the back end of the 2023/24 season.

He went on to be Wanderers’ top scorer last season, too, with 19 goals scored across all competitions, but supporters recognised an often frustrating habit of Collins going missing in games, failing to influence games enough on many occasions.

A reason for that may well be because his best football came out-wide at Bristol Rovers and his excellent technical ability is more suited to facing forward, rather than the typically back-to-goal or ‘running in-behind’ characteristics of an out-and-out striker.

With someone to do that work for Collins, like Jatta, the former Wales youth international could well thrive in returning to an ever-so-slightly deeper position to pick up pockets of space.

2 John McAtee

Walkden-born McAtee joined his hometown club Wanderers in the summer of 2024 from Luton Town, and did manage to reach double figures for goals in the League One campaign.

However, almost identical issues to Collins were identified with the former Barnsley loanee a much better prospect as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, rather than someone who could play the ‘number nine’ role.

The 25-year-old attacker clearly has talent, and it would appear he is very much a confidence player so often playing out of his best position will diminish that confidence. A return to a more natural role would be allowed with the arrival of Jatta and that could see him once again flourish.

1 Carlos Mendes Gomes

Carlos Mendes Gomes moved to Bolton, also from Luton, a couple of years ago and the deal happening late in pre-season prevented him from establishing himself in Ian Evatt’s stubborn and rigid system and eleven initially, before injuries then majorly blighted him over the next 18 months or so.

His best performances in a Wanderers shirt came during the early part of Schumacher’s reign, most notably in a 3-1 defeat of Birmingham City in early March, and he is another player that has been stifled by the back three system.