BACK before the pre-season narrative was stolen by niggling injuries and slow-motion transfer chases, the focus had been on how Wanderers would evolve after last season’s play-off heartbreak.

Ian Evatt felt confident the squad which had been 90 minutes away from promotion was good enough to go a step further but accepted that he may need more tactical flexibility to avoid some of the pitfalls he experienced in 2023/24.

Early deals for Klaidi Lolos and Scott Arfield were a nod in that direction. Both able to play as midfielders, supporting attackers or as an out-and-out front man, their arrival instantly gave the Wanderers boss a few different shapes with which to play, something that later came in handy when the injuries started to bite.

Now, Hungarian Szabolcs Schön has added another layer of depth, having completed his move from Fehérvár on Friday afternoon.

Bolton’s need is such that the 23-year-old will almost certainly be played at wing-back in the short term – indeed, that is exactly where he has been playing his club football in the city of Székesfehérvár, which coincidentally is twinned with Chorley.

Schön had spent more of his early career playing as a winger, however, and when promoted from Hungary’s Under-21s to the senior team in 2021, his ability to switch to either flank stood him out against the crowd.

Wanderers have signed a player who spent more than two years in the Ajax academy and who attracted a big money offer from the MLS at the age of 20.

Evatt will hope to bring more out of Schön than he showed in just over a year at Dallas FC and will be quietly confident that he will be a better fit in footballing style. Those who have watched him regularly in the Hungarian top-flight speak of an intelligent player who is comfortable on the ball, can spot a pass, and has a sharp burst of pace.

Most of all, however, Wanderers have brought in another player who can rotate position within games, which might just give Evatt the flexibility he has craved.

Schön’s time at Ajax and in the US means he has a good grip of the English language but in casting their net wider and looking to bring in foreign talent, Bolton are also going to have to learn some lessons of their own.

Settling a player can be tricky enough when they have moved a fair distance within England or Wales – Aaron Collins, for example – and though the proximity of the club’s excellent hotel is a godsend, it is also not a long-term measure.

Getting the best out of Schön on the pitch, and ensuring he is content away from it will be part of the plan cooked up by Evatt and Chris Markham, whose recruitment department has worked hard to expand their reach in the last 12 months and offer meaningful data on leagues and players who have been way out of the club’s reach for the better part of a decade.

Gone are the days where a well-edited DVD or a YouTube montage will get you through the door – Wanderers have done serious homework which, all being well, should limit the risk involved.