Bolton are looking to bolster the club ranks ahead of a battle for survival and are currently holding negotiations with former Sunderland player, presently a free agent, Jan Kirchoff. The 27-year-old has been without a contract after the 2016/17 season when his 18-month agreement with Sunderland ended.
Kirchoff has struggled to match the paces of the English game, often falling to the sidelines with recurring injuries. He managed to make only 23 appearances for the Black Cats and was not offered an extension.
Kirchoff is a centre-back by trade who was highly reputed in the Bundesliga with 65 total appearances for Mainz 05, 20 for Schalke and 12 for Bayern Munich. Yes, his career has seen a plethora of knocks and tears pry him away from regular football over the past couple of ears but when on the pitch, Kirchoff has been a force to be reckoned with.
He walked into the Sunderland lineup and helped the relegation stricken Rockerites to safety in the 2015/2916 season.
Sunderland fans are left questioning as to why their own club are not trying to bring him in and are just allowing their relegation rivals to grab him for the final stretch of the season. Bolton’s 1-0 win over Chris Coleman’s side put them 4 points clear of the drop zone while the visitors marked another low in their campaign by returning to the bottom-most spot of the EFL Championship.
Kirchoff can be fielded as a defensive midfielder as well with a bunch of technical abilities, which came handy in Allardyce’s tactics to save the side from falling to the bottom three. However, it looks like the Black Cats could not escape the drop next season and are currently in a free fall and about to go through their second consecutive relegation, down to the League One.
If the Trotters can get Kirchoff fit and firing, he is far too good to be embroiled in a second-tier relegation scrap and would give Bolton a huge boost in their own survival bid, perhaps pulling them clear and pushing Coleman’s side further into the mire.
Chris Coleman would have ideally liked more offensive threats but with Lamine Kone, John O’Shea and Jake Clarke-Salter in the back three, the former Wales manager could have utilised the services of the 27 year old German ace to strengthen his side.
Granted his appointment has seen the side return to some sort of structure but it is unknown whether they will be able to hold out against top oppositions for much longer, that too with just 13 games left in the regular season.
