Johnny Kenny would reject a chance to return to Bolton Wanderers next season in order to fight for a first-team place at parent club Celtic.
The young striker flourished at the Trotters during his half-season loan, scoring six times and providing three assists across 14 games for Steven Schumacher’s side, before a knee injury curtailed his involvement in the League One playoffs.
Hoops Chances Ends Championship Hopes
Despite an injury to their leading striker, Bolton still pushed on and gained promotion to the second tier at Wembley, convincingly beating Stockport County 4-1 to book their ticket to the top of the EFL in the process.
That, combined with his success while at the club, has got Schumacher eyeing recruiting the Irish forward for a second season at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, according to the Daily Record’s transfer blog.
Celtic have been in the market for a new number nine heading into the summer, with Plymouth Argyle’s Lorent Tolaj and Falkirk forward Barney Stewart both tipped to move to Paradise, meaning that an exit for Kenny may have been sanctioned.
However, in an interview with Record Sport, the former Shamrock Rovers man put any links of a return to Lancashire to bed by stating he wants to fight for a first-team place in Glasgow.
“I think at every big club, there are two or three massive players in each position. Everywhere you go, there’s going to be something big, especially at Celtic, where we’re hopefully fighting in the Champions League and all the fronts in Scotland too. So I relish the challenge.
“It’s a big summer for me, I think. I really enjoyed the first six months of the season there and obviously had a poor few performances near the end where I missed chances but I have massive aspirations to go back to Celtic and to get back in there.
“Obviously, the manager is unknown at this moment in time, so I think it’s a fresh start for everyone once the manager is appointed and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Kenny spent the first half of the season at Celtic, playing 22 times and scoring six goals amid a turbulent start to the season, which saw two managers sacked and Martin O’Neill installed as interim coach for the remainder of the season.
Where Can Schumacher Look Next?
In an ideal world, Bolton Wanderers would have come calling for Johnny Kenny and make him their star man heading into the Championship season, in a summer when the Trotters are losing a few key players.
Amario Cozier-Duberry is unlikely to return amid interest from across Europe, meaning that the Irishman could have been the key figurehead to Steven Schumacher’s bid at keeping his side in the second tier next season.
However, Kenny himself has dashed those plans, opting to stay and fight for his place as the number one at Celtic, perhaps providing a cheaper alternative to the search for a new forward at Parkhead that could have taken weeks to resolve amid a search for a new manager.
That leaves Bolton having to look for someone new to lead the line, and they will have a few different avenues to take.
They could head back into the loan market, and could find some joy in the academy ranks of Chelsea if new manager Xabi Alonso decides to trim his squad down after their previous spending sprees.
League One transfers could be a good option, and perhaps mounting a bid for Golden Boot winner and Wrexham target Dom Ballard could be a sensible move, given Leyton Orient‘s poor performance last season.
However, their best bet would be trying to sign a proven Championship goal threat, and with Coventry City going up and looking to build a Premier League-worthy squad, maybe they could entice Ellis Simms to move to the club.
The former Everton man has just one year left on his contract, and given his struggles up front for the Sky Blues, finding a new option to support Haji Wright may be top of Frank Lampard’s priority list, which may result in a sale of the 25-year-old.
