In January, Bolton’s star player Lee left the club for current Premier League team Crystal Palace. Lennon has tried his best to fill in that gap with Barry Bannan, on loan from Crystal Palace, but he just isn’t good enough. He has only assisted 3 times this season, scoring 0 goals. This means that Lennon will be forced into buying a midfielder in the transfer market if he wants his team to come close to the Play-Offs next season.
Barnsley’s star player would be the perfect fit for Lennon’s side. Conor Hourihane signed for Barnsley last year for £200,000 on a 3 year contract from Plymouth. He has scored 13 goals this season, assisting 15 times. The on-form midfielder will be hoping to play in the Championship due to his side not reaching the League One Play-Offs. Hourihane was named Barsnley’s Fan’s player of the year
This season, all of Bolton’s midfield assisted 25 times, which for a Championship club, is shocking. If Lennon brings in Hourihane, this will boost those stats and will lift the dressing rooms morale by far. The Trotters released 13 players at the end of the season, slashing the wage bill by £5 million, leaving them with some spare money to afford a couple of players.
