Bolton Wanderers have already brought in five new faces to their squad as they prepare for life in the Championship, but it looks like there will be more new additions soon.
Auxerre forward Theo Bair is believed to be the latest player on the Wanderers’ wanted list and reports claim that Bolton officials are in talks to sign the player on a season-long loan, with a view to a permanent deal.
The Canada international, who has previously played in the Scottish Premiership, is understood to be near the top of Steve Schumacher’s wanted list this summer.
Schumacher driving forward with squad plans
The likes of Luca Stephenson, David Watson and Ben Davies have already arrived at the Toughsheet Community Stadium during the close season.
It’s been an early show of intent from the Trotters, who are 20/1 to be promoted from the Championship, having gone up to the second tier via the League One play-offs last term.
Boss Schumacher has already stated his desire though to further increase his options, stating last week that he is hoping to bring in at least one more player before the club’s pre-season training camp.
Wanderers head to Slovakia this week to step up preparations for the new campaign, with their first pre-season friendly coming against DAC Dunajska Streda on Friday night.
Prior to that though, club officials will be fully focused on bringing in further new signings.
Schumacher said: “Centre forwards and wide players are definitely the priority. We know that we need to make the squad stronger.
“We still need to make the squad more capable of being able to handle the Championship. We might have to be a little bit patient, but we’re confident that we will get a team that can compete at this level.”
Bair offers striker experience
Although Theo Bair still has two years left on his Auxerre contract, it seems highly likely that he will move on this summer.
The Canadian forward spent last season on loan at Swiss side Lausanne Sport, scoring six goals in 23 appearances.
In the previous campaign, Bair had found the net just twice in 31 games for his Ligue 1 outfit and it appears the player is ready for a new challenge.
Prior to his move to France, the 26-year-old had spent two years north of the border, with spells at both St Johnstone and Motherwell.
His time with the Well was his most successful season to date, scoring 15 goals in 38 appearances in the 2023-24 campaign.
His then manager, Stuart Kettlewell, described Bair as a "major asset", adding that his "energy and pace" gave Motherwell a platform to play from.
Bair has played seven times at senior level for Canada, scoring one goal - which came in a 4-1 friendly win over Barbados on his international debut.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
