Bolton Wanderers are heading back to the Championship and The Trotters are expected to be very busy in this summer transfer window with a lot of work to be done on their squad.

Just a few days after defeating Stockport County 4-1 in the League One play-off final at Wembley Stadium, Bolton revealed many exits.

It was confirmed that George Johnston, Jordi Osei-Tutu, Kyle Dempsey, and Carlos Mendes Gomes would leave the club at the end of their contracts, while loanees Rob Apter, Corey Blackett-Taylor, Mason Burstow, Ibrahim Cissoko, Amario Cozier-Duberry, Marcus Forss, and Johnny Kenny would return to their parent clubs, with no indication of any talks taking place – with Szabolcs Schon’s permanent departure to Gyori also announced.

The retained list, in particular, has given Bolton supporters hope for their ambitions this summer, as many may have felt that Johnston and Osei-Tutu, even if only as squad players, could have been of value, but their release suggests that higher-profile targets may be lined up.

Bolton’s business has proceeded apace with the news of the signing of David Watson from Kilmarnock, amid speculation that they are close to signing Liverpool starlet Luca Stephenson for £700,000.

As the summer begins, the club’s Sporting Director, Fergal Harkin, who took over the post before last summer, has commented about what Bolton plans to do during this window.

A few players in for Bolton before pre-season

Steven Schumacher was one of 14 new signings made by Bolton last summer, with Harkin and Jimmy Dickinson now in charge of recruitment.

Another busy summer may well be in store once again for Wanderers and Harkin, speaking to the club’s in-house media, has outlined what may be in store in the early part of this summer:

“We’ve been working on many scenarios since February, and the time has come to put them into action. The challenge is that the transfer window is three months lengthy, and deals frequently occur later, especially during a World Cup year.

“Ideally, we’d want to bring in four or five players before the preseason, as we did last year. We already have a strong group, and some signings are lined up – it’s just a matter of timing. “We will bring in the right players at the right time.”

Bolton signed Xavier Simons, Charlie Warren, Sam Dalby, Richard Taylor, and Teddy Sharman-Lowe in June, just before pre-season, before adding Thierry Gale and Amario Cozier-Duberry in early July.

Bolton’s pre-season will begin at the end of June with a trip to Slovakia to face DAC Dunajska Streda in mid-July fundamental to their pre-season preparation.

Given Bolton’s success in the loan market last season, Harkin believes it would be beneficial to return to it.

“There is always a balance. The priority is quality – players and characters who can perform at Championship level. We would prefer to own all of those players, but that is not always feasible monetarily.

“The loan market can be extremely beneficial if it offers genuine value to your starting XI. Despite the fact that some of our loan players were injured, they made significant contributions last season. If we can replicate that level of quality, it will work for us again.”

Bolton has a busy summer ahead of him.

Having brought in 14 new signings last summer and then a further seven in the January transfer window, it may not have appeared as though Bolton would have to be busy this summer – but they most certainly do.

As Harkin points out, ‘quality’ is important, and things may need to be addressed at the rear of the team with Jack Bonham, who put in a number of outstanding performances with big saves during their play-off campaign, but who supporters undoubtedly have reservations about between the sticks.

Further forward, Max Conway is the club’s sole true left-back, with Richard Taylor underwhelming as a left-back/centre-back hybrid defender who has been out of the squad since mid-January.

Cyrus Christie brings versatility and experience to the right side of the defence, but he was second-choice to Jordi Osei-Tutu near the conclusion of the season, thus a successor is needed.

Bolton were perhaps short in the centre of the defence even without the release of George Johnston and so two new centre-backs may also be required to assist Chris Forino and Eoin Toal, as well as young defender Lewis Temple.

If Schumacher was to stick with his 4-2-3-1 system then six midfielders would likely be required and it could well be that that area of the pitch is already on the verge of being solved with the arrival of Watson and the potential signing of Stephenson to assist Ethan Erhahon, Xavier Simons, Josh Sheehan and Ruben Rodrigues.

The attack is possibly the section of the pitch that requires the greatest attention, with only two first-team players for out-wide and up-front, winger Thierry Gale and striker Sam Dalby, following the departures of their loan players.

A minimum of three, but probably four, wingers are required, again if Schumacher was to stick with the system, with two strikers also needed to compete alongside Dalby.

Overall, following 21 new signings in 2025/26, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bolton brought in 12 or 13 new faces this summer, with Watson already on board. That is, if outgoings occur, John McAtee, who was linked with a move to Barnsley last summer, is the most likely to be let go, along with Taylor and the returning Joel Randall, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Blackpool.

Harkin wants ‘four or five’ in by pre-season, which practically means this month, implying a very busy July and August for The Trotters as they look to compete in the second tier once more.