"Stay well away from him" - Blunt Derby County response issued over Bolton Wanderers transfer interest | OneFootball

Derby County are reportedly one of several Championship clubs taking an interest in former Bolton Wanderers captain Ricardo Santos

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…

Derby County are reportedly one of several Championship clubs taking an interest in former Bolton Wanderers captain Ricardo Santos following his release from the League One side.

As reported by journalist Pete O'Rourke, the Rams are one of several second tier outfits taking interest in the centre-back, including Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City.

Santos made 207 appearances for the Trotters during a five-year stay in Greater Manchester, but has still been let go by Steven Schumacher ahead of his contract expiring in the summer.

Portuguese defender Santos departs Bolton having captained the side until September of last season, and most notably, leading the team to EFL Trophy success at Wembley in 2023, thrashing Plymouth Argyle 4-0.

Derby County warned against signing former Bolton Wanderers man Ricardo Santos

FLW asked our Rams fan pundit Shaun Woodward if Santos would be a good addition to John Eustace's squad ahead of their second season back in the Championship, after surviving on the last day against Stoke City in the previous campaign.

No for me, stay well away from him," Shaun told FLW.

"Bolton fans were saying his legs have gone this season and he was struggling, he was getting caught and found out a bit - and that’s League One level.

"The Championship is obviously a different animal and I don’t think he’s up to that task if I'm honest, he’s never played in the Championship if I;m right, and I think there’s better players out there who are five or six years younger that we can be looking at.

"For me, we’ve signed Clarke, we can hopefully get Phillips, we’ve got the likes of Fozzy (Craig Forsyth) to cover, Nelson when he comes back fit as well, so I would be looking at a younger centre-half to complement what we’ve already got. (Santos) Not for me, I'm afraid."

Derby County have enough strong options at the back to start fretting over Ricardo Santos

In truth, the 2024/25 campaign did prove challenging for both Santos and Bolton as a collective, finishing eight in League One and missing out on the play-offs by 10 points, with the club also letting another long-serving defender in Gethin Jones leave earlier this month.

The Rams have secured Matt Clarke's future at Pride Park, giving him a new three-year deal that keeps him in DE24 until 2028. The 28-year-old signed from Middlesborough in January, playing a crucial role in helping the black and white army secure survival on the final day.

Clarke formed a "formidable back three" alongside fellow winter arrival Sondre Langås, who came from Viking FK, and Liverpool loanee Nat Phillips. If Phillips were to return on a permanent basis, it would be perhaps be wrong for Derby to chop and change what is proven to work.

Santos, being 29, would be a short-term solution, and that's before raising the point of him struggling in a league below. If his legs have indeed gone, as some Bolton fans are professed to have claimed, then the step up to a league higher and where he's never played before could be too challenging.

For John Eustace, he'll be wanting to build a squad capable of playing actual football, rather than a repeated relegation battle, so the coming weeks will reveal whether the club shares Shaun's verdict or not.