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 half the pitch and trust he can defend, there are not many who can.
“Will (Aimson) is another brilliant one v one defender and as you can see we try to recruit those types and commit men forward, keeping control by having the ball in the opposition half; having defenders who can run it pivotal to that.
“Rico is the captain of this club and we think the world of him. We are happy to have him back.
“He is frustrated with a few things. He had a bit of a foot issue, he had missed the end of last season so has played catch-up, then the red card was his biggest frustration. But it happens in football and, again, it is how you respond to adversity.
“It is great credit to the others that without him – this season and at the end of last – we have had great results. It shows the ones we have around him are very good players, Will Aimson being a prime example.
"It is probably difficult for him to come out of the team and not feel as appreciated as he wants to be – but we appreciate him, the fans appreciate him, and I think he will play loads of games this season. If he plays like he did on Tuesday then everyone will be happy – he will be happy because he’ll be winning games at a big club playing regular football."
Jones is another player of huge importance to Wanderers who has been at the club since the start of Evatt's reign. He and Santos form the club's leadership team within the dressing room.
He believes Jones and Santos are forming a new modern breed of captain and how leadership, particularly of young players, has changed over the years. Evatt feels he has lieutenants in the dressing room with the duo and lead by example.
He said: “There are different types of leaders now. The old captain, scruff of the neck, shout, scream, demand, has kind of gone out of the game. Whether that is for the better or worse, I think it’s subjective and we’ll all have opinions on that.
“Young players respond to a different type of leadership and Gethin recognises that. He is a young man himself, only in his mid-20s, but he has developed and learned it, been through adversity himself. When he speaks, people listen, and the empathy he shows really helps with the younger players.
“Him and Rico as a leadership team have been brilliant for me. It is great that players are talking about how big a role they are playing.
“Every manager needs lieutenants. When the door is closed and there are four walls with no manager the messages need to remain the same, and they do that for me. Every club needs that and they do it superbly.
“Rico and Gethin lead by example. Their standards are impeccable and they understand what is required for everything, whether it is simple passing drills or the effort they put into training, and people feed off that.
“Off the pitch they are just lovely young men. They are approachable, have empathy, they want to help and they are from great families. We are fortunate to have them both."
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