Bolton's Johnston Released as Schumacher Restructures Squad for Championship

The image of George Johnston lifting the trophy under the Wembley arch on Sunday already belongs to history. By the time Bolton Wanderers walk out as a Championship club again, their longest-serving player will be gone.

Four days after captaining the side to a League One play-off final win over Stockport, the 27-year-old centre-back has been released, ending a five-year spell that spanned 188 appearances and a full climb back towards the second tier.

For a player who arrived via Liverpool’s academy and a move to Feyenoord, Bolton became home. He stayed through the grind, not just the glory. Now, just as the club finally punches its way back into the Championship, the rebuild starts without him.

Clear-out after glory

Johnston is not the only Wembley starter to depart. Right-back Jordi Osei-Tutu, 27, also leaves after two years at the club, having made 80 appearances since joining from German side Bochum in August 2024.

Their exits underline the ruthlessness of the summer ahead. The promotion party has barely faded, yet manager Steven Schumacher has already stepped into hard-nosed planning mode.

Midfielder Kyle Dempsey, an unused substitute in the play-off final, has been released too. So has Carlos Mendes Gomes, who spent most of the 2025-26 campaign on loan at Exeter City and never quite forced his way into Schumacher’s long-term picture.

Loan core stripped away

The departures do not stop with the out-of-contract names. A significant chunk of Schumacher’s matchday options will also vanish as the loan contingent heads back to their parent clubs.

• Johnny Kenny
• Rob Apter
• Ibrahim Cissoko
• Marcus Forss
• Corey Blackett-Taylor
• Mason Burstow
• Amario Cozier-Duberry

are all returning to their employers, stripping Bolton of the depth and flexibility that helped carry them over the line in League One.

The pressure of the Championship will demand a deeper, sharper squad. Right now, that squad barely exists on paper. Schumacher has his promotion core, but the supporting cast has been ripped away almost overnight.

Schon seals permanent exit

There is another confirmed departure, this one already mapped out in contractual detail. Hungary midfielder Szabi Schon has completed a permanent move to ETO FC Gyor after two years on Bolton’s books.

The 25-year-old made 44 appearances for Wanderers but spent last season on loan with the Hungarian champions, who have now triggered their option to sign him outright.

For Bolton, it is another space on the wage bill, another piece of business tied off. For Schumacher, it is one more position to address before the Championship kicks off.

A new Bolton taking shape

Promotion has changed the club’s postcode, but it has also accelerated the cycle. Sentiment gives way to strategy. A captain on Sunday, a free agent by summer. A Wembley starter, a farewell announcement days later.

Schumacher wanted the platform of the Championship. He has it now. The question is simple: how quickly can he build a squad worthy of staying there?