Inside the rise of Dion Charles & why Bolton Wanderers have got 'steal of the century' with striker

Bolton Wanderers got the 'steal of the century' when they bought Dion Charles from Accrington Stanley earlier this year and the striker has been backed to make the difference in the big games this season.

That's the view of the striker's former manager at Southport, Liam Watson. The Sandgrounders boss had Charles play under him for 18 months before he moved to Accrington Stanley in the summer of 2019.

A spell at Stanley which saw he score 30 goals in 97 games for the League One club drew interest from several sides, especially when his contract at the Wham Stadium was due to expire in the summer of 2022. Wanderers made the move and acquired Charles at the start of the January transfer window with six months left on his deal.

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He made a memorable impact early on in his Bolton career, with a stunning first goal to seal three points late on against Shrewsbury Town away. A brace in the 6-0 thrashing of Sunderland truly announced his arrival at the University of Bolton Stadium.

Eight goals in 23 games in the second half of last season followed his January switch. Charles is awaiting his first goal of the new campaign, after picking up a thigh injury earlier this month, but is poised to return from it soon.

Watson worked with Charles for some 18 months, after he arrived from Fleetwood Town in January 2018. Charles was originally a winger but Watson explained why he converted the player to a forward.

Speaking exclusively to the Manchester Evening News, Watson said: “He was a good lad, he needed a bit of guidance. He was a winger in them days and then we decided that, as he used to do things that a winger would do,