Forget Aaron Collins, Bolton Wanderers keeping £5m-rated star is the best news: View | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers will hope the January transfer business they conducted will help them achieve their goal of reaching the Championship.

The Trotters have yet again had another strong campaign in League One, as they look to go further than last season.

Bolton were an impressive side last season, and their performances earned them a place in the play-offs. However, they just fell short, as they were beaten by Barnsley in the two-legged affair.

So, this season was about making amends, and so far, the Lancashire side are on course to do that as they continue in the race to stay in the play-offs and chase down an automatic spot.

The position the club is in meant not much transfer business was needed to be done, but the club was still busy, as they added Nathaniel Ogbeta, Calvin Ramsay, Caleb Taylor, and Aaron Collins, with the latter probably being the most impressive.

Aaron Collins was a player who had a lot of speculation over his future for most of January, with teams like Bolton, Charlton Athletic, and Wrexham all linked to the player at some point.

It didn’t come as a surprise, as the forward has been an impressive force since he joined Bristol Rovers.

The 26-year-old scored 16 goals and recorded 12 assists last campaign, as he was named League One player of the season. He then continued to contribute going forward in the first half of this campaign, as he scored three goals and chipped in with nine assists.

But, with his contract expiring in 18 months, Bristol Rovers took the chance Bolton offered them and sold him to the Trotters near the end of the January transfer window.

It is believed Bolton signed Collins for around £750,000, with the striker signing a contract until the summer of 2027.

The 26-year-old made an instant impact as he grabbed an assist in the draw against Barnsley on Saturday. So, Bolton fans will be delighted with Collins’ arrival, and rightly so, but the club’s best bit of news is keeping hold of Dion Charles.

Bolton keeping Dion Charles is the best news coming out of the transfer window

As mentioned, Bolton were quite busy during January, and it would have pleased many fans to see them get a deal for Collins over the line.

As the forward will bring more goals and quality to their side, it could be said that retaining the services of Dion Charles until the end of the season is, at the very least, the best news coming out of this transfer window.

Charles was yet again linked with moves away from the Toughsheet Stadium during last month, as teams such as Hull City and Swansea City were linked with the striker.

It was stated that the forward could be valued at around the £5 million mark, as Charles signed a new contract with the club not long ago, meaning he has a contract that runs until the summer of 2026.

Charles has been excellent for the Trotters yet again this season, as he’s got 13 goals to his name in 27 league appearances. The forward has also scored four more goals in this campaign in the other cup competitions the club has played in.

The 28-year-old has started every league game so far, averaging 78 minutes per game. As mentioned, Charles has 13 goals, and his scoring frequency is 162 minutes, which shows he’s scoring on a regular basis, and that could become lower as the season progresses, as per SofaScore.com.

Charles is averaging 0.5 goals per game, with him taking 2.9 shots per game and 1.0 on target, which shows his accuracy may need to improve, as he could have more goals to his name.

That is also shown, as the player has missed 13 big chances and has a goal conversion rate of 17%. But as well as being a goalscorer, Charles has been creating chances for his teammates, as he’s created two big chances, with one leading to an assist, as per SofaScore.com.

The forward has been excellent for Bolton ever since he joined the club, so therefore, they will have been desperate to retain his services as they bid to get into the Championship. If promotion is secured this season, then a lot of it may come down to keeping hold of Charles, as he will likely continue to contribute going forward for the club between now and the end of the season.