It has been a decent season in League One for Bolton Wanderers so far.

The Trotters finished ninth in the third tier last campaign, with a slow start meaning they missed out on the play-offs despite an outstanding second half of the season.

Ian Evatt's side have had no such troubles this time around though and currently sit fifth in the table, two points clear of seventh-placed Portsmouth. They also boast the joint-best defensive record in the division along with Barnsley, having conceded just 15 goals.

A common theme of Wanderers' games over the last few seasons has been their ability to turn games around and score late goals and it was no different on Saturday against Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium. Carlos Mendes Gomes put the Cod Army ahead in the first half, before Conor Bradley equalised in the 85th-minute and Oladapo Afolayan won it in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Evatt's men all three points.

With the January transfer window approaching, the 41-year-old will undoubtedly want to add reinforcements for his side's promotion push. Evatt's use of the loan market this season has been particularly impressive, bringing in the likes of James Trafford and Bradley from Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, so he will be keen to make use of his contacts once again.

But Wanderers did not spend much in the summer, with the vast majority of deals either free transfers or loans. The club have encountered some well-documented financial issues in the past, so will not want to spend beyond their means.

With funds perhaps restricted for Evatt, we have taken a look at some of those who are currently without a club he could consider.

Sean Morrison

Morrison has been a free agent since leaving Championship side Cardiff City in the summer.

The 31-year-old enjoyed an excellent spell in South Wales after arriving in 2014, including captaining the side which won promotion to the Premier League under Neil Warnock in 2018.

He was a regular in their unsuccessful one season stay in the top flight, but was released by the Bluebirds in the summer after struggling with injuries towards the back end of his time at the club.

While Bolton do have an outstanding defensive record this season, perhaps one concern for Evatt will be the lack of depth. Evatt likes to play a three at the back system and with Ricardo Santos, George Johnston and Will Aimson the only natural centre halves at the club and full-back Gethin Jones also regularly playing there, it does leave him short of options should injuries and suspensions hit.

Morrison would add significant experience having won promotion from the Championship and playing at the highest level, which could be crucial towards the end of the season if Wanderers are involved in the play-offs.

Evatt's side have also been known to be a little inconsistent at times and go on poor runs of form, so having someone with Morrison's leadership qualities in the dressing room could be incredibly beneficial.

Leandro Bacuna

Like Morrison, Bacuna is also a free agent after leaving Cardiff City in the summer too.

The 31-year-old began his career with Dutch side Groningen, before first arriving in England with Aston Villa in 2013. He scored seven goals in 116 appearances before joining Reading in 2017.

His performances in Berkshire earned him a move to Cardiff in January 2019, when the Bluebirds were in the top flight and he remained at the club until earlier this year, scoring four goals in 111 appearances.

Bacuna has also featured for the Netherlands at youth level, before pledging his allegiance to Curacao and he has been awarded 44 caps, scoring 14 goals for his country so far.

Evatt has some strong midfield options at his disposal, such as Josh Sheehan, Aaron Morley, Kieran Lee, Kyle Dempsey and George Thomason. But Sheehan has been unavailable for parts of this season, while Lee has struggled with injuries throughout his recent career and needs to be managed, so more depth would be useful in this area of the pitch.

Bacuna would add quality and experience as well as giving Evatt a different option to those already at the club.

Matej Vydra

While this may look like an incredibly ambitious option, Vydra has been a free agent since leaving Burnley in the summer.

The 30-year-old found regular minutes hard to come by at Turf Moor and scored just 12 goals across his four-year spell in Lancashire.

Vydra's reputation is still high having excelled at Championship level with Watford and Derby County previously, but despite his track record, second tier clubs have been reluctant to sign him up despite his availability.

Evatt admitted he may be in the market for strikers in January, with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Dion Charles and Elias Kachunga all struggling for form and there would be no better option than Vydra.

It may be difficult to convince Vydra to drop down to the third tier and his wages may also be a concern, but the longer he goes without a club and little evidence of Championship interest at this point, he may be forced to consider different options.