Bolton Wanderers: Brentford might have the next James Trafford or Connor Bradley on their hands - View | OneFootball

On Saturday evening, following Bolton Wanderers’ 2-0 defeat of Port Vale as they try and chase down Derby County in the automatic promotion spots in League One, the Trotters’ end of season awards dinner took place and midfielder Paris Maghoma was named their Young Player of the Year.

The 22-year-old, who turns 23 in a couple of weeks, joined Bolton on loan from Premier League side Brentford last summer and could well be following in the footsteps of two of Bolton’s loanees from last season in Conor Bradley and James Trafford.

Bradley has shone in the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool, whilst Trafford was bought for big money by Premier League side Burnley from Manchester City before the season began and has played plenty of games in the top flight.

It could well be that Bolton’s latest loan star is the next man to make the step up after an excellent season at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

Getting in and staying in

Over the summer, Wanderers had been heavily linked with all-action midfielders to compliment their already fairly deep and impressive collection in the middle of the park.

Australian international , whilst the Trotters also held an interest in Germany U21 man Florian Flick.

Neither deal came to fruition in June, though, and by late July, no midfielder had arrived. It therefore appeared to be a case of ‘next on the list’ when Maghoma signed on loan from Brentford in July but he has proven himself to be a lot better than a complete back-up.

Categorised as a defensive midfielder, although so, so much more than that, Maghoma had to break into a settled midfield at the start of the season that included both Kyle Dempsey and Aaron Morley alongside Josh Sheehan.

Alongside George Thomason, he has reinvigorated and reshaped that midfield three next to Sheehan, Bolton’s Player of the Year.

The former England youth international Maghoma made just one start in the league before late October but an excellent performance away at Wycombe Wanderers in a 4-2 victory at the start of a brilliant Bolton run of form meant he established himself as a key cog in the first eleven.

The next steps

There is a composure and silky gliding manner to the way in which Maghoma takes the ball and moves past opposition players as well as a real tenacity in the tackle balanced with genuinely outstanding technique in the final third, which are both matched with impressive end product for a midfielder learning his craft.

The Brentford loanee has demonstrated his qualities as both a goalscorer and a creator, among the top providers of both in Evatt's squad, and looks an exciting prospect.

There is room for Maghoma to grow but as the season has gone on, he has begun to establish himself as almost a cut above the vast majority of the Bolton squad – especially in the ‘run in’. That is a trait that Bradley and Trafford both notably showed during their time with the club.

A loan spell in the Championship may be the next step and Evatt has even discussed hopefully bringing him back on a permanent deal but there is very little stopping the young Englishman from going and being a part of Thomas Frank’s squad in the Premier League next season.