Bolton Wanderers - How the club's 2023 departures have fared

Ian Evatt paired down his squad in the summer and the club has now registered its squad list after the summer window.

But while Sadlier and John have not yet officially started ‘life after Wanderers’ we decided to take a look at how the other 10 players have fared since they walked out of the door.

ELIAS KACHUNGA

Divided opinion for much of his time with Wanderers – and was certainly known more for scoring important goals than scoring a lot of them.

Kachunga was released in the summer after two seasons with the Whites where he had scored six times in 91 appearances in all competitions, including one in the Papa Johns Trophy final against Plymouth Argyle.

He stayed in League One with Cambridge United and has played a part in a fine start for Mark Bonner’s side, who currently sit sixth. The 31-year-old has started two of their seven games and scored in a 2-1 defeat against Stevenage.

Adam Senior celebrates a goal with Eoin Doyle (Image: Camerasport)

ADAM SENIOR

Homegrown defender Senior – a lifelong Wanderer – had spent time out on loan at York, Chorley, Telford and Halifax before his release in the summer.

He made seven first team appearances for the Whites, scoring once, and has already matched that record after signing a permanent deal with the Shaymen in the National League.

JOEL DIXON

Released after two seasons with Wanderers, Dixon sealed a move to National League Hartlepool in the summer and has started each of their six games so far.

John Askey’s side have made a solid start, winning all four of their home games, and currently sit fourth in the table.

MJ WILLIAMS

Agree a move to League Two MK Dons not long after his contract at Bolton was extended by 12 months via an appearance clause.

Wiliams was one of Evatt’s key midfield lieutenants over his first 18 months but last season dipped in an out of the side until a run at centre-half helped solve a defensive injury crisis and get the club into the play-offs.

MK offered a good deal in July and with chances again looking limited he took the opportunity to help the Dons back into League One at the first time of asking.

He featured in the first four games of the season but picked up a knock against Crawley on August 15 which has kept him out of the starting line-up ever since.

LLOYD ISGROVE

Said goodbye to Bolton after injuries wiped out virtually his last two seasons with the club.

One of the key men in getting the Whites to promotion in 2020/21, ‘Izzy’ was a first team regular in League One at the time he picked up his first hamstring tear in November 2021.

But he managed only six appearances last term – and is now on the lookout for a new club, hoping those frustrations are behind him.

Kieran Lee is yet to find a new club after his release at Wanderers (Image: Camerasport)

KIERAN LEE

Released by Wanderers in the summer after three successful seasons, the former Sheffield Wednesday man has yet to confirm if he is hanging up his boots, or whether there he has another season left in the tank.

Towards the end of his time at Bolton he was talking optimistically about playing on – and pushing further towards 500 career appearances. Bolton fans will be watching with interest.

DAPO AFOLAYAN

Somewhat of a controversial exit at the time, Bolton’s ‘Star Man’ and reigning player of the year left for St Pauli in Germany for a reported fee of just over £500,000.

He had been displaced by a change of formation and tactics at Bolton designed to make their defensively more secure – and plenty of supporters voiced their disapproval at the sale.

Afolayan made a solid start, scoring three times and providing two assists in 16 appearances during his first campaign in Bundesliga 2. This time around he scored in a 5-0 cup win against SV Atlas and has featured in an undefeated start for the Boys in Brown, who have big ambitions to return to the top-flight.

Amadou Bakayoko and Owen Beck are on loan at Dundee in Scotland (Image: Camerasport)

AMADOU BAKAYOKO

Always a popular player at Bolton – but one who never quite managed to shake that ‘super sub’ tag, Bakayoko agreed a permanent move to Forest Green Rovers in January but found the early going tough.

The Gloucestershire men lost form badly towards the end of the campaign and ‘Baka’ went 19 games without scoring a goal.

This summer he agreed a season-long loan deal with Dundee in the Scottish Premier League and he has managed to start the last four games for Tony Docherty’s men.

WILL AIMSON

In 18 months with Bolton, the centre-back had let nobody down, and was arguably in the form of his life with the club when Exeter City offered him a bumper deal to move back south in January.

Aimson settled quickly and was handed the captain’s armband by manager Gary Caldwell the following month.

Speaking at the time, he said the prospect of a two-and-a-half year deal plus guaranteed game time made the move too hard to turn down.

“At times it was turbulent at Bolton where I would play six or seven games and then not play four, and not as regularly as I wanted,” he said.

“We played Exeter late December and I played in that game, did well, and there was some talk early in January about a move, but it was difficult as I was playing each week.

“But then I met with Gary, had a conversation, and he really attracted me to the place. I liked the way Exeter played and the style of football and it stuck with me, and then at the end of the month agreed terms and ended up moving down. Gary might have asked the Bolton manager about me at the time, but it was all quiet for me as I was head down and focused on playing.”

OWEN BECK

Sent back to Liverpool after struggling to get regular football on the left side of Wanderers’ defence last season and saw the campaign out in the Reds’ Under-21 side, playing 11 times and providing three assists.

The young Welshman has now gone back out on loan to Dundee in Scotland, and seems to have found the game time he has craved, making seven appearances so far and drawing some rave reviews from fans of the club.