Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt signs new three-year contract
Bolton Wanderers has confirmed manager Ian Evatt has signed a new long-term contract to extend his stay in charge of the Whites.
Evatt said he is 'delighted' to have signed a three-year deal to remain at the University of Bolton Stadium until June 2026.
He has been Wanderers’ manager since July 2020 and led the Club to promotion from League Two in his first season.
Since then, he has guided Wanderers to a place in the League One play-off semi-finals.
The 41-year-old also led the Whites to a first cup success in 34 years when Wanderers won the Papa Johns Trophy final with a 4-0 Wembley win over Plymouth Argyle at the start of April.
That honour further embellished a managerial CV which also includes a promotion to the EFL with Barrow AFC prior to his arrival at Wanderers three years ago.
After committing to a new deal with the Whites, Evatt is now targeting further success.
Evatt said: “I’m delighted to have signed a new contract at this great Club".
“As a Club, we spoke at great length about our aims and ambitions when I first joined and they haven’t been achieved yet and they haven’t changed.
“We’re on a journey. I really enjoy working with the people I’m working with and the group of investors, Sharon and the Board, who are all brilliant people. We have a fantastic relationship to carry this Club forward with.
“My staff, who help me every single day, have been a huge part of this journey and will continue to be on it with us. There’s more hard work to come and I’m excited for the future.”
Evatt - who took over following Wanderers’ relegation from League One and is now looking to take the Club up to the Championship via the promotion play-offs - added: “We want to bring happy times and success to this football club.
“We’ve seen the difference it’s made, this season in particular, with the size of the crowds and a fantastic fan-base.
“The town seems to be thriving again and part of it is down to the football club thriving again. We’re hungry for more. We’re never satisfied, we always want to improve and that will continue.
“I think everyone is excited about the progress we’re making and this is just another point of the journey where it’s time for more hard work and not for pats on the back.
“This is by no means a pat on the back, this is just that we’re happy with the ways things are going – from all sides – and let’s continue.”
Chairman Sharon Brittan said: "On July 1, 2020, one of the most important appointments in the Club’s distinguished history was made when Ian Evatt agreed to be a part of our journey.
"In the three years that have since passed, Bolton Wanderers has been revitalised beyond all recognition thanks to the leadership, passion and belief Ian has instilled across all aspects of the football club.
"The hard work he and the other members of staff have done in bringing back the pride in Bolton Wanderers has enabled all of us to cast aside the shadows of the past and look ahead to days of blue skies and beautiful sunshine.
"That long-held dream of once again winning silverware, which is so important to our club, was realised at the beginning of April and we all believe that we can get to Wembley once again later this month after a successful league campaign saw us seal our play-off place with a game to spare.
"Each day under Ian's management we have progressed and never looked back, and it is a direction our journey will continue to travel in whilst he is at the helm.
"The faith and trust I have in him as a person, not just as an employee, is unquestionable and is matched by his own commitment and ambition to bring sustained success to Bolton Wanderers and to the town and community.
"Therefore, I am thrilled that Ian has signed a new contract to reaffirm that commitment."
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