SWFC News: Bolton considered signing of Owls new boy - old pal wants him 'on toast'
· Alex Miller · 2026-08-07 · nguồn gốc
Bolton Wanderers considered signing of Sheffield Wednesday new boy - old pal wants him 'on toast'
One of Sheffield Wednesday’s new faces may well face-off against a close friend this weekend.
Bolton Wanderers weighed-up the possible re-signing of forward Mason Burstow heading into the Championship this season - before the Hull City man committed his season to Sheffield Wednesday.
The 23-year-old striker scored 12 goals in the Trotters’ League One promotion effort last time out and became the dozenth player to sign on to the Owls’ rebuild effort last week. His competitive debut may well come against the side he featured at last season and should he play, he may well lock horns with a close pal in Bolton skipper Chris Forino - who admitted a degree of extra motivation should he do so.
“He's one of the people that I'll speak to and I was at his wedding over the summer,” Forino told The Bolton News. “So yeah, he's a good friend of mine and I obviously know his game really well. I trained against him all year and that actually does make a difference. And of course he knows me as well, so I'm looking forward hopefully to get on the pitch and hopefully he gets on as well.
“You both want to be able to message each other after the game and be like, well, I had you on toast. You're both kind of playing and I'm sure he'll want to message me and say, you put two in the back of mine and I'm going to message and say I kept a clean sheet. So there's that bite to it on a personal level as well as the professional level.”
Bolton’s promotion to the Championship has delivered a summer transfer window many supporters have felt to be frustrating, though six players including former Owl Akin Famewo are in the door. Asked whether the return of Burstow was one that had been discussed earlier this summer, Trotters boss Steven Schumacher said: “There was. We had a conversation even before the end of the season.
“Mason has played at this level in the Championship and has done well. His best season has been for us in League One, where his goal contributions and his all-round play, he played 45 games I believe last year in the League for us, so it shows how well he did. He got going, he got himself established, if you like, of a consistent run of games and played some of his best football in League One.
“We did have a conversation about it, but we just felt that if we want to try and progress, if we want to really compete, then getting some players who we think might have that added Championship experience or Championship quality may help us. We didn't go any further with it, but he has gone to a good football club and I'm sure Mason will continue to have a really good career because he can definitely play at this level (the Championship) as well.”