Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt says that the club want to make Declan John's loan move from Swansea City permanent in the summer transfer window.

John joined Wanderers on loan back in the January transfer window, and has since gone on to make six league appearances for the Trotters.

Of those games that John has featured in, Bolton have won five and drawn one, a run that has seen them climb to ninth in the League Two table, just two points off the play-off places.

Now it seems as though John's impact at Wanderers, means the club are keen to extend their partnership with the defender, beyond the end of the current campaign.

Speaking about the contribution that John has made since his arrival at the club, Evatt told The Bolton News: “Declan’s a fantastic player. It comes down to that recruitment in January. We’ve lacked that player on the left-hand side all season. But Dec’s come in and made it his own.

“Hopefully we can keep him fit, keep him in one piece and hopefully we can keep him at this club for the long term. That’s what we’re looking to do, that’s what we want."

However, it seems Evatt is aware that it may not be easy for his side to do that, as he went on to add: “But for us to be able to sign players like him, we have to progress and he has to see that progression. So let’s just keep going, keep working hard and let’s see where we end up this season.”

As things stand, there are less than six months remaining on John's contract at Swansea, meaning he could be free to leave his current parent club for nothing at the end of this season.

The Verdict

You can certainly understand why Bolton would be keen to secure a permanent deal for John.

The left-back has clearly been impressive during his time with Bolton so far, and you imagine he could be an asset to them in the future, if they are able to retain his services.

However, given his performances for Bolton are unlikely to have gone unnoticed elsewhere, it may not be guaranteed that they will be able to get that deal done.

But given John already knows the club, and has seen that he can get game time there, Wanderers may well be in a strong position to win any potential transfer battle for the 25-year-old that might develop in the summer.