Bolton Wanderers are planning to respond to their play-off heartache by signing two players from West Brom and Wolves.
The Trotters lost 2-0 to Oxford United in the League One play-off final last Saturday and face another year in the third tier of English football. Bolton haven’t been in the Championship since being relegated in 2019 and even spent a year in League Two in 2021.
Days after losing to Oxford, Ian Evatt’s men have now been linked with a player each from West Brom and Wolves, as he aims to build a team capable of automatic promotion.
Alan Nixon is reporting on his Patreon account that Bolton are ‘extremely keen’ on signing Ashworth on a permanent basis. He still has another year to run on his contract with his deal expiring in the summer of 2025.
Ashworth played 23 times for Bolton with two goals and an assist. The six-time Wales under-21 international didn’t feature too much at the back end of the current campaign with a 20-minute cameo on April 1 his last taste of action. Ashworth was not in any of the squads for the play-off semi-finals against Barnsley or the final against Oxford.
Bolton had two West Brom players on loan this year with Caleb Taylor joining them for the second half of the season. The centre-back played seven times for them but suffered an ankle injury in February.
Wolves goalkeeper Louie Moulden is also of interest, with Alan Nixon also reporting that on his Patreon. The 22-year-old has spent the season with both Rochdale and Northampton Town and could depart this summer. Moulden kept two clean sheets in 12 League One matches after keeping six in 28 games for the Dale.
Moulden is out of contract next month and the club will have a decision to make on his future. He has been an unused substitute for the first-team in 11 matches with his last involvement being against Southampton in January 2022.