English Football League Transfers

Bolton Wanderers: Eight January Signings Unlikely To Save Club From Relegation

Bolton are 23rd in League One and bottom due to Bury’s removal from The Football League. 11pts from 29 matches leaves them doomed, 19pts from safety.

The Trotters have had financial troubles of their own, former owner Ken Anderson’s dealings almost took the club out of The Football League too. They lost their squad and have looked to non-league and their youth for alternative solutions.

)**Bolton have had financial troubles over recent years**
(Image by Bolton Wanderers FC -https://www.bwfc.co.uk/

This was the only way the club were able to try and move forward.

Here are Bolton’s Eight January signings unlikely to inspire:

Jacob Mellis – The most high-profile signing Bolton have made this January. The 29 year-old central midfielder has had his fair share of game-time and controversy. Chelsea signed the Nottingham-born player for 1M back in 2016 but was sacked for setting off a smoke grenade at the training ground. Mellis made 84 league appearances for League Two Mansfield, scoring four times before joining Bolton on a free transfer. The player was fined for an incident that occurred in Mansfield Town Centre too. Manager Keith Hill will be keeping a close-eye on this potential trouble-maker who brings baggage with his strong footballing ability. A risk the club felt they had to take.

Muhammadu Faal – 22 year-old striker signed permanently from non-league side Enfield. Signed for an undisclosed fee and so far made two appearances.

Ryan Delaney – 23 year-old centre back signed permanently from League One Rochdale. 6ft 5 & signed for an undisclosed fee. Made two appearances for Bolton.

Brandon Fleming – 20 year-old left back who has signed on a six month loan from Championship side Hull City. Made eight professional appearances for Hull and has so far played six matches for Bolton.

Ethan Hamilton – 21 year-old midfielder signed who has signed on loan from Manchester United under 21’s. Scored four times on loan at Rochdale in 2019 in 14 matches. So far played eight times for Bolton and has not been on the score sheet yet.

Kean Bryan – 23 year-old centre back who has signed on loan from Sheffield United. Started out his career with Manchester City, but made no first-team appearances. Had a successful loan spell at Oldham Athletic two seasons ago and hasn’t played since. So far made three appearances for Bolton.

Anthony Georgiou – 22 year-old Cyprus international signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The left winger has had loan spells at both Levante B and Ipswich Town, but he is yet to play for Bolton. Georgiou made his professional debut for Spurs in a Champions League match back in 2017.

Aristote Nsiala – Perhaps the second most high-profile signing. The 27 year-old DR Congo international has signed on loan from Ipswich Town. The centre back started his career at Everton but didn’t make an appearance. This season Nsiala has made nine appearances for Ipswich and so far played three times for Bolton. The player has spent his career playing Conference, League Two & League One football. This Football League experience may come in handy for Bolton and if they are to be relegated, it would be a good permanent addition for next season.

The Biggest Championship Spenders In January

(Fulham – 25 Million)

Ivan Cavaleiro (Signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers- 15M)
Jordan Archer (Signed from Oxford United – Free)
Terence Kongolo (Signed from Huddersfield Town – Loan Deal)
Bobby Decordova-Reid (Signed from Cardiff City – 10M)

Fulham are currently 3rd and are just three down on goal difference from being in the Championship automatic promotion places.

The Cottagers were by far the biggest spenders in the division this window, aiming to narrow the gap on Leeds United and leaders West Bromwich Albion.

Their most notable signings west Ivan Cavaleiro and Bobby Decordova-Reid.

Cavaleiro is a Portuguese winger who has played on loan at Fulham on loan from Wolves this season. In that loan spell he scored 5 league goals in 23 appearances. Now the question is whether he can live up to his huge price tag.

Decordova-Reid is a 27 year-old forward who has also impressed manager Scott Parker this season. He netted 4 times in 25 loan appearances on loan from Bristol City and has since scored once in the two appearances following his permanent signature.

25M spent on 2 players is a lot for any Championship club. Premier League aspirations are very-high at the club and this proves Fulham are doing all they can to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking.

2. (Bristol City – 4 Million)

Nahki Wells (Signed from Burnley – 4M)
Markus Henriksen (Signed From Hull City- Loan Deal)
Filip Benkovic (Signed from Leicester City – Loan Deal)

Bristol City are having a strong season. They currently sit in 7th position with just goal difference denying them a play-off spot.

The Robins are the second biggest January spenders, yet are a staggering 21M behind Fulham. The signing of striker Nahki Wells will only boost their promotion chances.

The 29 year-old has been in strong goal-scoring form this season at QPR, with the Bermuda born player scoring 13 times in 26 appearances.

A ratio of one goal every two matches brought Bristol City calling for his Wells’ services and Burnley terminated his loan on 27th January to allow him to leave on a permanent deal.

Wells signed a 3 and a half year contract to keep him at Ashton Gate until the summer of 2023. With the forward being in such fine form this season, a place in the promotion places is looking ever more likely for the club as they boast a record of four consecutive wins in the division.

3. (Nottingham Forest – 1.7M)

Adama Diakhaby (Signed from Huddersfield Town – Loan Deal)
Nuno da Costa (Signed from Strasbourg – 1.7M)
Gaetan Bong (Signed from Brighton Hove Albion – Undisclosed)

Nottingham Forest are another club eyeing promotion to The Premier League. They are currently 4th and just one point off Leeds United in the automatic promotion places.

Forest are the third biggest spenders in the division and this is solely thanks to the signing of 6ft winger Nuno Da Costa.

The Cape Verde born player has represented his country three times, scoring once. A record of 14 goals in 74 matches for top-division french side Strasbourg is a fine record.

The attacking-minded player who turned 29 on 10th February will be aiming at contributing to the two-time European Cup winners first return to The Premier League in over 20 years (1999).

Top 3 League One Transfers Of The Window

(John Akinde – Gillingham)

**Signed From Lincoln City**
(image by Gillingham FC – https://www.gillinghamfootballclub.com/)

Gillingham currently sit 12th in The League One table, 8 points short of the play-off places. The signing of 30 year-old striker John Akinde offers some hope for The Gills that they could still win promotion yet.

Akinde began his career at non-league club Gravesend & Northfleet and moved on to Ebbsfleet United in 2007. It was it form here which caused a stir amongst the professional leagues. Scoring 15 times between the years of 2007 and 2008 at both Ebbsfleet & Whitstable Town earnt Akinde a contract at Bristol City.

The Striker’s career stalled for a long time after this move, with the exception of a successful loan at Wycombe Wanderers in League Two.

Impressive goalscoring form at Barnet made him noticed again, across four seasons he scored 90 times in all competitions. In 2018 league Two Lincoln City snapped him up where performed admirably for The Imps, earning promotion to League One.

With such an impressive ratio of goalscoring over the past 7 seasons, Akinde could give Gillingham a timely boost. He assisted on his debut vs Rochdale, manager Steve Evans will hope this form continues until the end of the season.

2. (James Vaughan – Tranmere Rovers)

**Signed On Loan From Bradford City**
(image by Tranmere Rovers FC -https://www.tranmererovers.co.uk/)

Tranmere Rovers are in danger of being relegated to League Two on their first season back in League One. The loan signing of striker James Vaughan offers some hope yet.

The 31 year-old began his career with Everton and was filled with potential. He was one of the fastest players in the academy yet never made the grade at Premier League level. That said, he still scored 7 Premier League goals for the Toffees.

A successful loan spell at Huddersfield Town in 2012 earnt Vaughan a 3 year contract at the Kirklees Stadium for an undisclosed fee. The striker totalled 33 goals in 95 games for them and then moved on to Birmingham City which turned out to be a disaster.

A move to League One Bury in 2016 confirmed Vaughan’s level as he netted 24 times in 40 appearances, becoming a fans favourite.

It wasn’t until 2019 that Vaughan properly re-discovered his form as he has scored 11 times already this season for Bradford in League Two. Micky Mellon noticed the goalscoring potential for his side and snapped up the striker on deadline day.

If The Rovers are to make up the 6 point deficit to survive this season, placing it in the hands of experienced Vaughan could well prove to be risky. However the striker’s form at Bury 4 years ago in this division will offer hope to Prenton Park. If he keeps scoring this season, it could be the signing of the window.

3. (Glenn Whelan – Fleetwood Town)

**Signed From Hearts**
(image by Fleetwood Town FC – https://www.fleetwoodtownfc.com/)

Fleetwood Town have the chance of making the play-offs in League One this season. They currently trial 6th-placed Portsmouth by 5 points & the signing of veteran midfielder Glenn Whelan adds much needed experience to their promotion fight.

The 36 year-old Republic of Ireland international began his career at Manchester City, he made no professional appearance for the club. in 2004 Sheffield Wednesday signed the defensive midfielder on a free transfer. He went on to make 142 league appearances for the club scoring 12 times.

In January 2008 Whelan signed for Championship side Stoke City. He signed a 3 and a half year contract with The Potters initially and a deal worth 500,000. At the end of his first season he won promotion to The Premier League after Stoke finished 2nd under the management of Tony Pulis.

Whelan remained at Stoke City throughout their Premier League years making 338 appearances in all competitions. He scored 8 times in this period, moving to Aston Villa in 2016 where he played 73 times across 2 seasons in The Championship.

Despite Whelan’s best years being behind him, he has an impressive CV filled with Premier League, Championship and Scottish Premier League football. The Cod Army are in need of reinforcements to make a serious claim for the play-offs. Whelan has done it all before and knows exactly what’s needed of the side led by manager Joey Barton. Making 17 appearances for Hearts already this season, Whelan shows he still has more in the tank and his experience could make Fleetwood more level-headed going in to the final matches of the season.

Click Here to view all the january window signings

Top 3 Championship Transfers Of The Window

(Scott Sinclair – Preston North End)

**Signed from Celtic, former Manchester City player**
(image by Preston North End FC – https://www.pnefc.net/)

Preston are just outside of the play-off places, sitting in 7th. The signing of Scott Sinclair will be sure to increase the Lancashire clubs chances of reaching the Premier League.

Sinclair had played for the likes of Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City until he found the form of his career at Swansea City. The English winger netted 28 times in 82 games for The Swans and brought the attention of Manchester City.

He only made 13 appearances between 2012 and 2015, not scoring once. It took a move to SPL Celtic to re-ignite his career back under former manager Brendan Rodgers. 40 goals in 105 league appearances as well as playing his part in the teams unbeaten season allowed him to be noticed by the best clubs once again.

The 30 year-old will be aiming to strike fear into his opponents and contribute to a potentially successful season at Deepdale. With Preston so close to the top 6 such a big signing could really prove to be the final piece in the jigsaw.

2. (Kamil Grosicki – West Bromwich Albion)

**Signed from Hull City for an undisclosed fee**
(image by West Bromwich Albion FC – https://www.wba.co.uk/)

West Brom are the current leaders of the championship, just 1 point above Leeds United. The signing of the 31 year-old winger adds to the strong depth at the disposal of manager Slaven Bilic.

Grosicki began his career at Polish side Pogon Szczecin where he managed 3 goals in 28 appearances. It was his performances at French side Rennes (most notably during 2015-16 & 2016-17) which earned him a move to Premier League side Hull City.

When The Tigers were relegated, the winger stayed on at the club and began to make an impression. A regular in the Championship side for 2 and a half seasons, Grosicki netted 25 times in 107 matches.

Now at the league leaders, the Polish international has the opportunity to play in the world’s best division once again. If he continues to keep creating and scoring chances, he will surely help The Baggies earn automatic promotion. This time Grosicki will hope to make it a longer stay on the big stage and be noticed like when he represented his country at the Euros.

3. (Rhian Brewster – Swansea City)

**Signed on loan from Liverpool**
(image by Swansea City FC -https://www.swanseacity.com/)

Swansea City currently sit 8th in The Championship, just 4 points behind Bristol City in the play-off places. The signing of 19 year-old striker Rhian Brewster gives The Swans hope that they can return to The Premier League.

The England youth international has brought much attention to himself for his impressive goal scoring record, scoring 20 times in 23 matches for the under 17s.

In 2015 Brendan Rodgers signed Brewster from Chelsea academy. The Chadwick Heath born player saw Liverpool as a better opportunity to make it at first team level. Since then he has only made three senior appearances for the club, his debut coming against MK Dons in The EFL Cup (September 2019).

Despite such inexperience playing professionally, Brewster has huge potential. He has so far netted 2 in just 4 appearances for Swansea. This shows why Liverpool have so much faith in the youngster. They offered him a five year professional contract back in 2018 and if he continues these performances he will boost his reputation and prove to be one of the January window’s best signings.

League Two: Bradford City Transfer Deadline Mess

**Gary Bowyer was sacked by Bradford City on Monday 3rd February**
(image by Bradford City FC – https://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/)

Bradford City are now seven games without a win and have been hammered 3-0 twice in the past three matches at both Mansfield & Oldham. This poor fun led to the dismissal of manager Lee Bowyer with the start of the season promotion favourites slipping to 7th.

This is not the only problem Bradford have either, all three signings made on deadline day were not registered in time to play vs Oldham.

Strikers Lee Novak (signed from Scunthorpe United) and Kurtis Guthrie (signed from Stevenage) joined winger Glenn Middleton who came in on loan from Rangers.

Despite heavy business, it still doesn’t seem to make up for losing top-scorer James Vaughan. He was allowed to leave on loan to League One Tranmere Rovers. As well as this, League Two top scorer Eoin Doyle (previously re-called) was sold permanently to Swindon.

Novak has only scored six goals this season for Scunthorpe, although Guthrie has netted 14 times for Stevenage and seems more promising.

Bowyer frustrated fans during this January transfer window. His decision-making accompanied by the teams poor form ultimately led to his demise.

The re-appointment of Stuart McCall for a third time offers some optimism for fans as the sides relegation from League One last term was from ownership troubles rather than McCall’s own doing. The former Scotland international and Bradford player was a fans favourite, fired in February 2018. This was two months before the drop.

**McCalls third spell as Bradford manager**
(image by Bradford City FC – https://www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/)

Only time will tell if this re-appointment will work for the club.

Getting the best out of Novak and Guthrie will be McCalls best chance at getting the season back on track and earning promotion.

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Top 3 League Two Transfers Of The Window

(James Wilson – Salford City)

**Signed from Aberdeen, former player of Manchester United**
(image by Salford City FC – https://salfordcityfc.co.uk/)

Salford City are currently 11th in the League Two Table and are eight points off the play-off places. The signing of striker James Wilson is sure to boost their promotion hopes.

Wilson started his career at Manchester United, scoring three times in fifteen appearances for the Red Devils.

Unsuccessful loan spells with Derby and Sheffield United have raised questions about his ability, nevertheless dropping down from the top two tiers of English football to the fourth will strike fear in to league two defenders being such a big name from the past.

The 24 year old will be aiming to get his goal scoring boots back on and re-ignite his career with a promotion on his CV. The strong budget is accompanied with notable names now at Salford. Wilson promises to be a big signing for League Two.

2. (Eoin Doyle – Swindon Town)

**Signed From Bradford City after being re-called from successful loan-spell**
(image by Swindon Town FC – https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/)

Swindon Town are currently top of League Two and this is mainly thanks to the form of striker Eoin Doyle. He fired in 23 goals in just 22 appearances during his loan spell from Bradford City.

Due to this staggering form, Bradford re-called him but couldn’t keep hold of him. Swindon went out and signed the 31 year old permanently.

If this goal scoring continues, its looking increasingly likely he will send Swindon to automatic promotion.

He may not be as big of a name or as young and promising as Wilson but could prove a better signing yet.

3. (Michael Nottingham – Crewe Alexandra)

**Signed from Blackpool on loan**
(image by Crewe Alexandra FC-https://www.crewealex.net/)

Crewe Alexandra have been fighting for promotion all season. Long – term injuries to centre backs Ollie Lancashire & Eddie Nolan have made Crewe fight fitness too. Veteran centre back Nicky Hunt has also had injury and fatigue problems over the course of the season. This left Crewe stretched to say the least.

The signing of former Salford City defender Nottingham from Blackpool has so far helped Crewe go five matches unbeaten since joining the side, putting them 2nd.

If such solidity continues from the versatile 30 year old who can play at both centre back and right back then he could well be the signing of the season.

There is no doubt on current form that the 6ft 4 defender deserves to be on this list.