Bolton Wanderers plan longer stay for ex-Arsenal winger now at Hamburg

WANDERERS have already touched base with Hamburg about keeping Xavier Amaechi beyond January as the winger’s rehab from a broken foot continues apace.

Ian Evatt is optimistic that the former Arsenal man will play for Bolton before his original loan agreement expires and feels he can still make a big impact on League One this season.

Amaechi fractured his metatarsal in a pre-season friendly against Preston North End and has undergone surgery but has now returned to the training ground for gym work under the watchful eye of the Bolton medical staff.

“It has been good to see a smile back on his face,” Evatt told The Bolton News.

“Talk about adversity, that kid has been through a lot. It has been a challenging time for him but he has stayed positive and looking to get back to fitness and a place in our first team, which is what we want.

“He was enjoying his time and I think he will again. He’s a fantastic young man and has a wise head on his shoulders.

“We hope he will be back before January and we’d like to keep him for longer but there are a lot of things that have gone into the deal. Xav himself sacrificed a lot of his salary to come here.

“There are conversations to be had, and they have started, but right now he needs to focus on his rehab and we will give him all the support he needs.”

Elias Kachunga was effectively signed as a replacement for Amaechi when news that he would require an operation to fix the fracture emerged.

The former Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday striker has already shown glimpses of class, creating goals for Alex Baptiste and Antoni Sarcevic.

With just under a fortnight to go in the transfer window, however, Evatt has dropped an appetising hint to Bolton supporters that he might not yet be done in the market â€" with another attacking player believed to be on his radar.

“I am always looking but we signed Kacha for that reason (to replace Amaechi), we’ll see,” he said.

“Things are really starting to heat up at the moment on the transfer front, ins and out, so things can change overnight. If something special comes along we will see what we can do.

“It can change quickly on players moving out as well, so it is one to keep an eye on, really.”

Wanderers would have to move on one of their Over-21s to make way for another senior signing but do have the option of signing or loaning in a player aged Under-21, who would not count against the EFL squad cap.

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