I'm Back.

Good day loyal readers and Wanderers supporters.  I have spent the past couple weeks happily wandering the hills of Spain and Morocco, but now I am back, and ready to talk some football.  Bolton play Chelsea in a couple days, and that will no doubt be an interesting match;  However, I would like to spend today's posts addressing transfer speculation.  And believe me, about 95% of it is unfounded, unrealistic, unlikely to ever even be discussed, speculation.

First the confirmed signings;  Andy O'Brien went to Leeds.  I liked him, he was what they call an "honest" player, but he was barely up to premier league quality at his best, and he is well past that now.  I wish him luck.

Tope Obadeyi's loan deal with Shrewsbury Town expired.  He is back with Bolton after making nine starts for town and impressing no one.  He is still only 21, but he won't feature for the first team, and probably will be let go this coming summer.  We have had a few of these over the past few years, winger/forward types with a lot of pace and little else.  None of them have worked out.  It does not appear Tope will be the first.

Gary Cahill

Will he play for England this summer? I don't know. A more important question for me is will he play for Bolton in September.

Owen Coyle has come out and stated that he does not need to sell players in order to buy. So Cahill could return next season. But if Arsenal offer £15 million AND another year of Jack Wilshere on loan, I don't see how Bolton can say no. Don't get me wrong, I think Cahill forms a very good partnership with Zat Knight, and they have a chance to be even better next season, but sometimes you have to sell 1 player when it means you can buy 2 or 3.

Here is the caveat; Owen Coyle must have those 2 or 3 players already lined up and confirmed before selling Gary Cahill. When Bolton sold Nicolas Anelka, we were left in a position where we had £15 million to spend and nothing to spend it on. So we ended up overpaying for Johann Elmander.

Now if Coyle has already secured the striker from Portsmouth for £3 million, a good left-back for £5 million, and a very good central defender for £7 million, plus Wilshere on a 12-month loan, then by all means snap Arsene Wenger's hand off.

It should be an interesting summer.