Bolton Wanderers are considering making an attacking signing in the final week of the window, after learning of the severity of Amario Cozier-Duberry’s injury.
Wanderers’ bright winger was substituted before the half-hour mark in Saturday’s victory over Leyton Orient with a knee ligament injury.
And he’s now looking at between 8-10 weeks on the sidelines, in a massive blow to the Whites’ ambitions of achieving automatic promotion from League One this season. Losing such an integral player means that Steven Schumacher may be looking at signing a replacement, according to Darren Witcoop.
The journalist has also revealed that Bolton do not want to let go of midfielder Josh Sheehan. Reports earlier today had linked several of their third-tier rivals with signing the 30-year-old.
Huge Loss
On loan from Brighton & Hove Albion, Cozier-Duberry had been in scintillating form earlier this campaign. In just his second Whites appearance, he scored a sensational effort against Sheffield Wednesday to take their Carabao Cup tie to penalties.
And that was just the start of his excellent season to date, scoring six times and providing nine assists. He was at the heart of Wanderers’ stunning comeback against Huddersfield Town in October, which ended their miserable away record.
Days before picking up the League One Player of the Month and EFL Young Player of the Month awards for October, he was directly involved in all four goals against Port Vale. Such was his early-season form that Championship clubs were linked with taking him on loan for the second half of the campaign.
But his form has dwindled since that staggering showing against Vale in November, recording just two assists in his last thirteen League One appearances.
Nevertheless, his presence on the right wing would have been pivotal to Bolton’s ambitions of promotion. It is highly likely that he won’t be seen again in a Whites’ shirt until April at the earliest, and may find it difficult to return to fitness in time for the run-in.
What Would A Replacement Look Like?
At this stage of the window, it feels likely that Bolton will look for another Premier League loanee to replace the void left by Cozier-Duberry. Permanent deals are notoriously more difficult to do in January than in the summer, even more so at this stage of the window.
While not a direct replacement, academy graduate Toby Ritchie penned his first professional deal earlier today. The attacking midfielder bagged on his first senior appearance against Oldham Athletic in the Vertu Trophy earlier this season.
He has been equally impressive at youth level, scoring three times in two FA Youth Cup appearances. It would therefore be of little surprise to see Ritchie increase his involvement around the first-team in the coming months.
With a week remaining until deadline day, expect Bolton to move quickly when any players do become available. Clubs at this level often have to wait for deals further up the pyramid to be completed before they allow their youngsters to go out on loan. The signing of a wide man in the next seven days could be the difference between Championship and League One football next term.
