Bolton Wanderers have enjoyed a strong first-half of the League One campaign, with Steven Schumacher’s side very much in the hunt for a top two spot and automatic promotion back to the Championship.
The Trotters have put in good performances throughout the campaign but they have been undermined by their away form.
That was again exposed at the weekend as, despite taking the lead via Thierry Gale, Bolton succumbed to a 2-1 loss away at Adams Park against Michael Duff’s Wycombe Wanderers.
The Chairboys were play-off semi-finalists last season but had set the pace at the very top-of-the-table mid-way through the campaign before a disruptive January which saw the departure of manager Matt Bloomfield to Luton Town.
As well as that, key midfielder Aaron Morley was recalled by his parent club, Bolton, as the Trotters struggled under Ian Evatt, who would leave less than two weeks after Morley’s return to the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Aaron Morley could leave Bolton Wanderers in January – Trotters shouldn’t regret not cashing in in summer
After returning and playing well for Bolton in the second half of last season, Wanderers opted to keep hold of Aaron Morley, amid reported interest from Wycombe, once again, as well as Luton, then managed by Bloomfield.
It has been a tough few months for Morley, though, with the former Rochdale midfielder struggling to find consistency in the middle of the park alongside stiff competition from the likes of Ethan Erhahon, Xavier Simons and Josh Sheehan.
With reports now indicating that Morley – who has been left out of the match day squad in Bolton’s last three matches – could again depart Lancashire this winter, FLW’s Bolton Fan Pundit Liam O’Meara doesn’t believe there are or should be any regrets over how his future was handled in the summer.
Liam told FLW: “I think it’s just a simple case of those clubs not meeting the amount that Bolton were looking for at that time.
“I don’t know whether they regret it because I think that in an ideal world, Aaron Morley would have put in performances that would have cemented his place in the starting 11 at Bolton and he’s been given a chance to do that.
“I don’t think it’s a case of regret. Everyone has got clearer vision in hindsight.
“He was given the opportunity to perform and he hasn’t done. We would have sold him this summer but the amount that we were looking for wasn’t met and that will be the same in January.
“It’s not for us to make it easy for these other clubs to sign another player. If they want to pay for him then absolutely do that.”
Aaron Morley has often frustrated at Bolton Wanderers – cashing in may be the best course of aciton
Having arrived from Rochdale in the January transfer window of 2022, Aaron Morley immediately shone and became a fans’ favourite at Bolton, as they surged up the table and achieved a ninth place finish in their first season back in the third-tier.
However, as Evatt’s time went on, Morley often flattered to deceive. Never really obviously playing badly but not doing enough within games to ensure he kept his spot or drove Bolton on, especially in comparison to 2023/24 Player of the Year Sheehan or that season’s Young Player of the Year, Paris Maghoma.
Deemed surplus to requirements in the summer of 2024, Matt Bloomfield clearly got the best out of Morley last year and he returned refreshed for the opening few months of the Schumacher reign.
Things have again stagnated for Bolton and it would be of no surprise, albeit perhaps a fair bit of disappointment that things haven’t worked out to the absolute best of what they could, if Morley was to move on in January.
