Bolton have confirmed some major news about “talented” centre-back George Johnston, amid interest from two of their League One rivals.

What's the talk?

Johnston has officially signed for Bolton from Eredivisie side Feyenoord this week. Johnston has put pen to paper on a three-year deal with Bolton, two years on from leaving Liverpool to move to the Netherlands with Feyenoord.

In April, Football Insider reported that League One clubs Ipswich and Portsmouth were eyeing up a swoop for the centre-back but Bolton have now beaten both sides to the punch and secured a deal for the 22-year-old ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Bolton manager Ian Evatt has lauded the “talented” defender and has said that he is delighted to bring him to the club. He told Bolton's official website:

“George is a player with a fantastic pedigree who came through the ranks at Liverpool before moving to Feyenoord two years ago.

“That he was willing to move away and play abroad in a different league at such a young age says a lot about his character.

“He came back for the second half of last season and had a very successful loan spell at Wigan Athletic.

“He’s a very talented player for the future and we are delighted to have signed him.”

Fans will be buzzing

Bolton fans will be buzzing with this news as the club have secured an excellent addition to their squad following their successful promotion out of League Two. As Evatt has explained, Johnston is a “talented” player and has a very bright future ahead of him at the age of 22. Instead of signing an experienced professional in the latter stages of his career, Bolton have added a young, hungry, prospect to their team to add a fresh face to the squad.

Evatt has the chance to develop Johnston further, which opens up the door to a future sale if all goes well. For example, Evatt could help Johnston progress as a player over the next 12-18 months, or longer, into a Premier League standard defender and that could allow the club to sell him in a multi-million-pound deal. That could then fund several additions to the squad and help the club as a whole progress to the next level.

The £3.5k-per-week beast is also a player for the here and now. Johnston enjoyed an excellent second half of the 2020/21 season on loan to Wigan in League One. He averaged a brilliant WhoScored rating of 6.96 in 16 starts at centre-back, proving that he has the quality to be a top-class defender at League One level and that could improve Bolton's defensive options. Johnston could be the natural successor to Alex Baptiste, who turns 36 next season and was a regular during the League Two campaign.

All in all, this looks like an excellent signing for Wanderers, one that should delight the club's loyal fanbase.

AND in other news, Portsmouth are eyeing a deal for “dangerous” £18k-p/w dynamo...