"Impressed" - Bolton Wanderers told 26-year-old "can be a big player" in League One play-off chase | OneFootball

Jordi Osei-Tutu has been impressive since returning from injury late last year, and could be influential in the Trotters' play-off push

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The mood around Bolton Wanderers has turned around massively of late, with Steven Schumacher revitalising a fanbase that had become discontented under the stewardship of Ian Evatt.

The former Plymouth Argyle boss has galvanised his Trotters side to keep them well in the mix for the play-off places in League One this season, with a 3-1 victory over Birmingham City in midweek leaving them a point off the top six with a game in hand.

There have been a number of standout performers in recent months for Wanderers, with some to be expected, and some coming out the blue, with many not knowing what to expect from certain summer arrivals.

But which player has surpassed expectations the most so far this season? We asked Football League World’s Bolton fan pundit Liam O'Meara to give us his verdict.

Jordi Osei-Tutu impact hailed as Bolton Wanderers play-off push continues

Jordi Osei-Tutu joined Wanderers from Bundesliga outfit VFL Bochum last August, having spent a portion of the previous campaign on loan with Greek side PAS Giannina.

Despite having loan stints at Cardiff City and Rotherham United after coming up through the ranks at Arsenal, there was still some trepidation about the player before his reemergence at the Toughsheet, with less than 50 league starts to his name by the age of 25.

While he has had his injury concerns in his new environment, the pace merchant has proved an invaluable piece of the puzzle since returning to fitness in December, as he fills in down the left-hand side.

A first league goal of the season in the dramatic 4-3 comeback win over Crawley Town was a just reward for his performances in 2025 to date, and O’Meara has been delighted by what he has seen of the rapid roadster in recent months.

When asked who has exceeded expectations the most, the Wanderers fan said of the 26-year-old: “In terms of being surprised, he came with good pedigree but I have been really impressed with Jordi Osei-Tutu.

“The pace that he has and his ability to go past players is really, really effective, and with the injuries that he has had we have really missed him.

“He is now putting a run of games together and I think he could be a really big player for us in the run-in.”

Jordi Osei-Tutu could make the difference in Bolton Wanderers’ play-off push

Things are as tight as ever in the race for the League One play-offs right now, with a cluster of sides all harbouring hopes of finishing in the top six come the end of the season.

The battle between now and the end of the season is going to come down to the slenderest of margins, with tight encounters needing a sprinkle of brilliance inserted into them to be decided one way or the other.

Osei-Tutu has shown he has the ability to provide that when unleashed further forward, and O’Meara is confident he will be given the chance under his new boss to excel when pushed on a bit, which could give them the edge as the season edges towards its climax.

He continued: “What I like as well, with Steven Schumacher’s variance in terms of different systems and changing things during the game, I do like the idea of him playing further up the pitch, as he does look like he has the ability to break lines.

“A lot of our games - especially at home - we can end up playing against a low block and we struggle to break that down. That was probably Ian Evatt’s undoing in the end due to the predictability that we had.

“But with Osei-Tutu being able to get past a player and to be able to open up things to other players as a result, I think that could be really big for us.”