WANDERERS have clinched the signing of striker Aaron Collins from Bristol Rovers – making him their most expensive capture in a decade.

Bolton have paid a fee of £750,000 for the Welsh striker, who won last season’s player of the year award in League One after scoring 16 goals and providing 12 assists.

Collins is the club’s most costly purchase since Jay Spearing in the summer of 2013, signing a three-and-a-half-year-deal at the Toughsheet Stadium, taking him to the summer of 2027.

The 26-year-old joins a Bolton forward line that already includes Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo, Dan Nlundulu, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Cameron Jerome.

Nlundulu's hamstring injury suffered in December forced Wanderers into the transfer market, and at one stage Blackburn Rovers' Niall Ennis looked the most likely loan signing. But after being alerted to Collins' availability, Ian Evatt moved quickly to beat Charlton Athletic to his signature.

Starting his professional career at Newport County, Collins was picked up by Wolves in 2016 but played only a handful of games in the Under-23s.

Loan spells with Notts County, Tranmere, Maidstone, Newport and Colchester helped progress his career and he moved to Morecambe in 2018 for a short spell, scoring eight times in 15 appearances.

It would be a move to Forest Green that sparked Collins off, a successful two-season spell yielding 16 goals in all competitions, which alerted the attentions of Rovers.

He fired the Gas to promotion from League Two, scoring 18 times, then followed it up with a campaign that earned national awards.

This season has been more complicated for Collins, with a change of manager at the Memorial Stadium and contractual haggles with the club. He has returned five goals so far but has created nine – which is the second highest of any player in the division.

Manager Evatt feels Collins will bring a different skillset to his attack.

“The board have backed Chris (Markham) and I immensely with this and thanks to them for their support in getting the deal done and I’m looking forward to working with Aaron,” he told the club.

“We're really excited to have him. He is a very, very good player and brings something slightly different to what we already have. We're always looking to improve and find players that are additive to what we already have and he fits that bill.

“We have a really good squad of players and a really strong group of strikers. Obviously losing Dan was a big blow. We felt we have been one light for the past couple of months, so adding Aaron into that pack is great.

“We wanted somebody who we feel will make an impact now, but also have an impact in the future. We do lots of research and diligence into players and he comes out well in all of our models. We are really happy to have him and looking forward to working with him.”