Steven Schumacher breaks silence on off-field Bolton Wanderers movement | OneFootball

Steven Schumacher reveals the positive early signs in his relationship with new Bolton Wanderers sporting director Fergal Harkin.

Bolton Wanderers' new sporting director Fergal Harkin is set to start work with the club on Monday, and has already made a good impression on head coach Steven Schumacher.

Wanderers have just come off the back of a disappointing season where they failed to even make the League One play-offs. They opted to bring in Schumacher mid-season, but he was unable to guide the club to a promotion challenge.

This has seen them swoop for Harkin to become the club's new sporting director for the 2025/26 season and beyond. The Irishman is about to wrap up a three-year spell at Standard Liege in the same role as his new one in Lancashire.

There are hopes that the addition of the 48-year-old to the club's hierarchy will see an improvement in player recruitment heading into next season, as the Trotters will be hoping to finally gain promotion from League One.

Schumacher has already spoken of his excitement about working with the former Manchester City Football Partnerships and Pathways Manager, who he hopes he can forge a positive relationship with.

Steven Schumacher already impressed by new Bolton Wanderers sporting director

Despite Harkin not starting his role with the club until next week, Schumacher told The Bolton News that he's already been in contact with the new sporting director, and the early signs are positive.

“I’m really looking forward to working with him,” the ex-Stoke City boss said.

“We have been in regular contact even though he has been over there, but we’re both looking forward to getting started properly.

“I think we know what the plan looks like and what players will help us in this squad, and we have a good idea of what we want to try and recruit.

“But we’re realistic as well. It’s never easy, it’s never straightforward. Other clubs go for good players as well, and you never get it all your own way."

Appointing a sporting director seemed to be the right move for Bolton after the club's lack of successful signings last season. This addition will hopefully help the former midfielder turn the ex-Premier League club back into a powerhouse in League One.

Fergal Harkin appointment could hugely benefit Schumacher

An interesting point to aid Harkin's case of helping Schumacher achieve success is that the 41-year-old has worked under a sporting director or similar in his previous roles at Stoke and Plymouth Argyle.

Whilst his stint with the former was one to forget, the success he achieved with the latter bodes very well for Bolton's chances of getting out of League One next season.

Under the stewardship of Schumacher and aided by the excellent recruitment of Neil Dewsnip, the Greens were able to chalk up an impressive 101 points, which saw them win the League One title.

There will be hope that the addition of Harkin can yield similar results to the evidence displayed in Devon.

Winning the league or automatic promotion will surely be the target next season, and Schumacher has already proven he can do that with the correct recruitment approach.

Bolton have the resources to challenge at the top of the league, but just need to add the right players to their already relatively strong core of players.