WANDERERS have won an offer from Derry City for centre-back Eoin Toal.
The club increased their initial offer for the 23-year-old Northern Irishman at the end of last week and Bolton News understands he will now fly over for a medical early this week.
Toal is out of contract at the end of the year and wanderers snapped him up for a minimal upfront payment, with further payouts contingent on his success at the UniBol.
Evatt was looking for defensive cover after releasing Alex Baptiste in the summer and received a rave review of the 23-year-old from former striker Eoin Doyle, now with St Patrick’s Athletic.
The deal has been delayed by Derry’s involvement in Europe, with Toal keen to play a two-legged tie against Riga in the Europa Conference League before moving to England.
Speaking about his side’s 2-0 defeat on Thursday night, Derry boss Ruaidhri Higgins said he “had no idea” whether the defender would represent the club again.
A delegation from Bolton, including technical performance manager Chris Markham, traveled to Ireland last week to bolster the club’s initial bid.
Wanderers are now keen to complete the transfer and could have him in the building when they host Huddersfield Town in their final pre-season friendly next Saturday.
Toal already has over 150 senior appearances and has made 20 league appearances this season in Ireland, scoring once. He has also represented Northern Ireland at all levels from youth to under-21.
He also played in Derry’s three central defensive positions, which would give Evatt ample cover alongside Ricardo Santos, Will Aimson, George Johnston, Jack Iredale and Gethin Jones.
Evatt confirmed his interest in Toal last week after the initial offer was rejected and believes he can handle the move to Ligue 1.
“He’s a player we know, he’s a player we like, he’s a player with good attributes and we think he’ll suit the way we play,” he said.
“We will do things smartly and strategically and we appreciate everyone. If this value is not the right one, we will move on to other targets, as simple as that. »
Eoin Toal is one of the topics covered in this week’s edition of The Buff Podcast, our weekly look at Wanderers headlines. To listen, press play on the player below.
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