Bolton Wanderers should capitalise on January interest to agree player exit | OneFootball

Reports of Australian A League interest in Gethin Jones is something that Bolton Wanderers should capitalise on in order to continue their evolution.

In a turbulent week for Bolton Wanderers which has seen the culmination of the Ian Evatt era at the club following his departure on Wednesday morning, the time is now for the Trotters to further move towards the future.

Prior to the 2-1 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic on Tuesday evening which effectively sealed the fate of Evatt at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, Alan Nixon, via his Patreon account, suggested there was interest from the Australian A League in club vice-captain Gethin Jones.

Jones has been a stalwart of Evatt’s tenure at the club, joining in the summer transfer window of 2020, Evatt’s first summer, and being one of just three players to make it this far at the club, alongside former captain Ricardo Santos and current captain George Thomason.

However, reports suggest that the 28-year-old defender could be set to move ‘down under’ in this January transfer window with reported interest from unnamed clubs, and it is a possibility that Wanderers should try and make happen.

Jones’ impact at Bolton cannot go unpraised

Jones joined Bolton on a free transfer following his departure from then League Two rivals Carlisle United, and he became a key man for Evatt, with his versatility proving vital as the Trotters ascended up the league table from as low as 19th in February to third and the automatic promotion spots by the end of the same campaign in the 2020/21 season.

Playing at left-back, right-back, left wing-back, right wing-back and across the three-at-the-back system implemented by Evatt; Jones became the archetypal ‘team man’ and the cliché, ‘seven out of ten every week’ player that every good side has to have.

He has made 174 appearances for the club during his four-and-a-half seasons, forming a bond with supporters that extends beyond the pitch, with the club and fans raising money for former Bolton player Stephen Darby’s Darby Rimmer MND Foundation as a result of Jones’ mother dealing with motor neurone disease. A charity match between the current Bolton squad and a Bolton legends squad was arranged and played in November 2021.

Jones’ mother passed in March 2022 and the Everton academy graduate has cited the support from fans and staff at Bolton as a reason as to why he didn’t retire from football at that time.

Jones’ endeavour on the pitch has often awarded him some grace when the level of his overall performances has dipped in recent times with that aforementioned team first mentality, something that has been pivotal in Bolton’s relative success in recent seasons.

Time for Bolton to move on and kick on

However, that grace had diminished to the point of no longer being there at all as Jones’ performances continue to underwhelm and there is a wide belief within the fanbase that Bolton must move away from Jones.

To try and get into the second-tier with a one-time journeyman picked up on the cheap when in the fourth-tier nearly half a decade ago would seem unlikely and, whilst a good story and there example of it happening, is now proving unlikely.

Bolton have, as mentioned, parted company with Evatt, who was wedded to a three-at-the-back system which perhaps limited Jones’ best attributes as an out-and-out right-back, forcing him to play on the right-side of a back-three or, on occasion, as a wing-back in a system and style whereby the wing-back was often Bolton’s primary threat.

That would present an argument that Jones staying for a bit longer may be beneficial if a change in the system is afoot, but that would just be staving off the inevitable departure in six months.

Jones became an Australia international in 2024 and played in the AFC Asian Cup last year. For his career prospects in that regard, as well as Bolton’s need to evolve and move onto the next phase of the post-Evatt era, it would appear in everyone’s best interests that the former Wales youth international does depart in this window.