The January transfer window is fast approaching and focus at Bolton Wanderers has turned to bringing in reinforcements to help bolster the squad.
Wanderers have endured a deluge of injuries in recent weeks which has restricted the options Ian Evatt has at his disposal at present.
There is light at the end of the tunnel however as MJ Williams returned to the team from a dislocated shoulder over the weekend against Accrington Stanley, while Harry Brockbank was back in the matchday squad and on the bench following his recovery from a partially torn Achilles.
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But key midfielder Josh Sheehan is out for the season, while right-back Gethin Jones, winger Lloyd Isgrove, holding midfielder Andrew Tutte and attacker Amadou Bakayoko are all continuing their recoveries from their injuries.
Though focus is on the January window and bringing in reinforcements, there are several players whose deals are up next summer and will have to be tackled at some point.
The situations vary among the nine players whose deals run out next summer and some, such as Reiss Greenidge who is on loan at Barnet for the season, may well have played his last game for Bolton.
The same could be true of Ali Crawford, who is currently on loan at St Johnstone until January and the Scottish club are keen to extend the deal.
Dennis Politic is currently out on loan at Port Vale for the season but has turned down the offer of a new contract at Wanderers and, as things stand, would leave next summer when his deal expires, though Wanderers do have an option of a January recall.
Veterans Matt Gilks and Alex Baptiste - Evatt's former team mates from his Blackpool days - also have deals which run out at the end of the season, with the latter having more game time in central defence than the latter, with Joel Dixon the number one goalkeeper at Wanderers.
Nathan Delfouneso has often been part of the matchday squad but has struggled to get many minutes under his belt this campaign, while Liam Gordon has impressed at times at both left-back and more recently at right-back.
It is incredibly unlikely that all nine of the aforementioned players mentioned will all remain at Wanderers after next summer, and decisions will have to be taken in due course over which ones have earned the right to stay at the club.
Bolton Wanderers players out of contract in summer 2022
Alex Baptiste
Andrew Tutte
Ali Crawford
Nathan Delfouneso
Liam Edwards
Liam Gordon
Reiss Greenidge
Dennis Politic
Matt Gilks
