IAN Evatt has warned his Wanderers players they have to be ready to carry the weight of expectation this season.

Bolton are in the fourth tier for just the second time in their history and all involved have made no secret of their desire to make the stay in League Two a brief one.

The new head coach has made a major play of looking at stats and data when it comes to new recruits at the University of Bolton Stadium, five players having come through the door so far.

But the clear goals laid out for the Whites this season mean that having the right mindset will also be key if Wanderers are to get themselves heading back in the right direction in the 2020/21 campaign after back-to-back relegations.

“We want to get the right technical and physical capabilities but also they have to be strong characters,” Evatt told The Bolton News.

“Playing for Bolton Wanderers isn’t for everybody, you have to be able to embrace it.

“We’ve got a huge target on our back.

“We’re a massive football club for that division and teams are going to raise their game to play against us there’s no doubt. You’ve got to have the right characteristics to rise to the challenges that are ahead.”

Blackburn Rovers midfielder Tom White became the latest new arrival earlier this week, the loanee having won promotion with Evatt at Barrow in the National League last season.

At the same time as his signing was confirmed, Salford completed a deal for Northampton’s Jordan Turnbull.

While Wanderers and their near neighbours have competed for some of the same players this summer the central defender is not among them, The Bolton News understands.

Turnbull has penned a two-year deal at the Peninsula Stadium having been linked with the Whites.

Eoin Doyle and Antoni Sarcevic were both on Salford’s wanted list before electing to move to the University of Bolton Stadium and the two clubs have led the way in League Two when it comes to recruitment this summer.

Doyle and Sarcevic have been joined by defender George Taft, midfielder Brandon Comley and White in joining Wanderers.

Graham Alexander’s Salford on the other hand have added former Whites skipper Jason Lowe, Preston captain Tom Clarke and Rochdale’s Ian Henderson to their ranks having finished 11th in their first, shortened, season in the Football League. 

Elsewhere, Wanderers yesterday teased on social media that they would soon be revealing their new kit with an unveiling expected to be imminent.

Home Bargains have already been confirmed as the main sponsor for another season. The brand initially signed up in October.