Ian Evatt believes skipper Ricardo Santos is the best central defender outside the Premier League as he feels he and vice-captain Gethin Jones have become his lieutenants in the Bolton Wanderers dressing room.
Santos and Jones were among the first tranche of signings made by Evatt when he became Wanderers boss in the summer of 2020. They started his first game in charge of the club and the only two players still at Bolton which remain from that side.
Central defender Santos became Bolton captain last October when he was handed the armband following the departure of previous skipper Antoni Sarcevic to Stockport County. Jones was appointed vice-captain.
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Santos put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at Wanderers earlier this summer which ties him down to the League One club until mid-2025. The captain is poised to be back in the team tomorrow as he returns from suspension against Sheffield Wednesday.
Evatt believes his captain is the best defender outside the top flight as he highlighted the importance of the player as he welcomed his impending return. But the Bolton boss also highlighted how Wanderers have coped in the past when Santos has been out injured or suspended, with Will Aimson often the one to fill the void left.
Evatt said: “For me, he is the best centre-back outside the Premier League. People might laugh at that statement but I hear it a lot in the game as well, coaches talking about his attributes and I think even Derek Adams spoke about it in his pre-match the other day. They know how big a player he is for us.
“Him not being there impacts the way we play. We can leave him there one v one for
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