Bolton Wanderers have announced the signing of defender Ryan Delaney on a permanent deal from League One rivals Rochdale.

Delaney, who was signed for Rochdale by current Bolton manager Keith Hill back in the 2018 winter transfer window, made a total of 57 appearances in all competitions for the Spotland club, scoring four goals.

The Irishman then spent the first half of this season on loan with another League One side, AFC Wimbledon, making a further 16 appearances and scoring once during his time with the Dons.

Now however, Bolton have secured the services of the defender for the foreseeable future, with Delaney putting pen to paper on an 18-month deal with the Trotters, securing his future at the club until the end of next season.

Delaney becomes Bolton's eighth signing of the January window, following the permanent arrivals of Muhammadu Faal and Geroge Thomason, as well as the loan signings of Ethan Hamilton, Toto Nsiala, Brandon Fleming, Kean Bryan and Anthony Georgiou.

Wanderers are still bottom of the League One standings following their 12-point deduction at the start of the season, and are currently 20 points adrift of safety.

The Verdict

This could be a really useful signing for Bolton.

Delaney already has a decent amount of League One experience under his belt, so he ought to be ready for the challenge that will face him at Bolton in the coming months.

Indeed, with Hill having been the man to sign Delaney for Rochdale, the pair will already be familiar with each other, which should help the Wanderers boss to get the best out of his new recruit.

Given the uncertainty around Bolton in recent months, the fact that this deal runs into next season should also be encouraging, since it certainly suggests there is an element of longer-term planning ongoing behind the scenes at the club.