Weighing up Dion's departure

by Liam Hatton

Charles spent three years with the Whites (Image: CameraSport - Lee Parker) I remember being in the away end for Dion Charles’ first goal for Bolton Wanderers away at Shrewsbury. A goal down, Charles controlled a cross before rifling it into the top corner.

The crowd went stir crazy and I think from that moment on we knew that we had a genuine 20 goal a season striker on our books, something which had not happened since the days of Michael Ricketts.

One thing is for sure, Ian Evatt has never been afraid to cut ties with fan favourites, which in his words is doing right by the club and by Dion. He has moved on from Dapo Afolayan, Eoin Doyle (who was subsequently replaced by Charles), Kieran Lee and a few others.

Looking at the situation on an emotional level, I can understand the concern among some of the fanbase - selling to a team fighting for promotion in the same division with the reported figure being deemed too low.

But on a practical level I have few issues with the move. Sometimes you just know when it is best for both parties to have a fresh start, and in this case it felt like Dion had lost a bit of form over the last year or so with injuries. He probably returned prematurely ahead of the run up to the play-offs and never seemed to get back to where he was prior to that.

Part of that is down to the system and losing a big target man who he worked well with in Jón Dadi Bödvarsson. That connection never seemed as reliable when it was Dion alongside Victor Adeboyejo, and it just did not pan out with him and Aaron Collins as a duo up front.

This season was not ideal either as Charles could not be guaranteed regular minutes with the signing of John McAtee, who originally started in an attacking midfield role before being tried further up the pitch in a front two.

I have said over the last few weeks that I would not really bat an eyelid if any of this squad were to be sold, so has been the disappointing nature of this season.

Dion was a great player for Bolton, leaving with back-to-back 20-plus goal campaigns and as the club’s sixth all time top goal scorer. However, everyone has a price tag and no one is ‘unsellable’, for lack of a better word.

So what is he worth to Huddersfield? He probably does get them automatic promotion, but beyond that and as a Championship striker? I have my doubts. That is not sour grapes as I genuinely wish him the best, but there is a ceiling for a 29-year-old Charles and what his immediate future looks like.

As for Bolton, the next few weeks will dictate how you see this season going, because it will be play-offs or bust. If the funds are reinvested into all areas of the squad - centre back, defensive midfield and striker are the glaring needs - then it should improve the team as a whole.

However, it is also a risk to sell one of your top strikers two weeks into January with the majority of the fanbase wanting Evatt to go. But let’s be honest, the manager has always done things his way - good or bad.

Dion’s Replacement

By Lee Sidebotham

Stoke City youngster Nathan Lowe (Image: PA) Whoever we bring in to replace Dion Charles needs to make an immediate impact - it’s crucial for our promotion push.

I said my peace last week about letting Dion go. For me, you don’t sell your top goal scorer over the past three years to another team in the same division who are fighting against you for promotion. But the deal is done and the funds generated from this sale give us more options in the market.

There are two approaches I see us taking in replacing Dion. The first is we get someone in who’s like for like.

Stoke City have recently recalled League Two top scorer Nathan Lowe from highflying Walsall. He’s very similar to Dion and could be a great temporary replacement for the rest of the season.

Then there’s Ali Al-Hamadi. An impressive couple of seasons at Wimbledon tearing apart League Two saw him gain a transfer to then Championship side Ipswich last January. He scored four in 14 during the second half of the season as the Tractor Boys went all the way and sealed back-to-back promotions. A proven goal scorer who’s struggling to find a place in the Premier League, he's certainly one to look at.

Mansfield's Will Evans also comes to mind - though admittedly probably the lesser out of the three. He’s another player whose perfected League Two and shown no signs of stopping in League One, scoring 10 this campaign. He’s small, fast and a great poacher. Remind you of anyone?

Then there’s the second approach, we get in a completely different type of striker.

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago how I believe Reading’s Sam Smith could be the perfect fit. I’ve seen more fans take to social media in recent weeks highlighting him too. He can be the perfect target man while also being able wider when needed. He’s a striker that suits Evatt's style of play to a tee and has a lot of flexibility in attack.

He scored 15 goals in League One last season in a struggling Royals side and currently sits on nine this campaign. While I’m not an expert of Reading’s current financial position, I know they’re not exactly in a place to disregard any bids that come in for any of their players.

The final striker on my radar is Charlton’s Miles Leaburn. He’s 6ft 6 yet has pace to put many wingers to shame. He’s only recently got into the Charlton team consistently, but he also won League One Player of the Month for December showing what he’s all about. He’s lethal both in the air and with the ball at his feet. While I’m sure Charlton won’t want to let him go, maybe offloading a few more players could gather enough funds together to tempt them.