‘Stick with us!’
11 Jun 2025 04:24
LONG-SERVING defenders Gethin Jones and Ricardo Almeida Santos have departed from Bolton Wanderers as head coach Steven Schumacher begins his summer rebuilding job.
Goalkeepers Nathan Baxter and Joel Coleman have also reached the end of their current deals and ended their stays with the Whites.
Loan players Jay Matete, Alex Murphy and Kion Etete returned to their parent clubs after Wanderers completed their League One season.
Goalkeeper Luke Hutchinson, 22, has been offered a new contract to potentially extend his career with the Whites, while contract options have been taken up to keep youngsters Max Conway, 21, and Sonny Sharples-Ahmed, 20, at the club.
The departure of Almeida Santos and Jones – both 29 – marked the end of a five-year period which saw the two become central figures during a significant time for the club.
The duo, who signed within a day of each other in August, 2020, were instrumental in securing automatic promotion from League Two at the first attempt in the 2020/21 season.
Both players also performed key roles in the club lifting the Papa Johns Trophy at Wembley Stadium in April 2023.
Jones – who joined Wanderers on a free transfer from Carlisle United – made 188 appearances, scoring eight goals.
Almeida Santos made 207 appearances for Wanderers, scoring six times, after signing on a free transfer from National League side Barnet.
Schumacher told the club’s official website: “Decisions like these are always difficult, particularly with players like Geth and Rico who have given so much to Bolton Wanderers over the years.
“They were central figures in the promotion from League Two and the EFL Trophy success at Wembley and have conducted themselves with great professionalism throughout their time here.
“Their seniority was important for the group and they have been fantastic for me since my arrival. On behalf of everyone at the club, I thank them for their considerable efforts and wish them both the very best in their future careers, along with all the other players leaving the club this summer.”
New signings are expected this summer as Schumacher builds towards a fifth successive season in League One. He is in no doubt about the need to strengthen the squad.
He said “It’s not difficult to see where we’re lacking, it’s not difficult to see that we need better players, so that’s what we’ll try and do. What we’ve got currently hasn’t been good enough this year so we need to make sure that we’re stronger and to give us a chance to get promoted. That’s the aim and that’s what we’ve got to try and figure out.”
He also urged fans to stick with the club, adding: “It’s been frustrating for everyone. The fans are obviously the most important people at the club that we need to try and get it right for. They’ve been frustrated in this division for too long, so stick with us.
“I can see what needs to change, what we can try and do to do different and, as I say, put a team out there next year that can go one better.”
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