EFL expert names his League One ‘team to beat’ out of Huddersfield Town and Bolton Wanderers

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EFL expert George Elek has provided his verdict on who will win the League One title out of Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town.

Huddersfield Town have recruited extremely well in the transfer market but Lee Grant is yet to fully stamp his authority on the side, with other promotion favourites also off the pace.

Bolton Wanderers have lost just once, which came during the opening day defeat to Stockport County. Since then, it’s three wins and five draws, but plenty of strong performances within those draws.

Bolton have made terrific signings like Ethan Erhahon but it’s not just that, with Bolton retaining players like Aaron Morley despite other interest in the EFL. It’s given them the tools to be the team to beat.

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Bolton Wanderers backed for League One title by EFL expert George Elek

Huddersfield are fifth and the Trotters are 10th, while Cardiff City, Stockport, and Luton Town are all outside of the top two after nine games despite each being the favourites for promotion.

That said, it’s becoming clearer that Steven Schumacher is really building something at Bolton, even if they are outside of the play-off places at present. George Elek of the Not The Top 20 Podcast believes that, too.

He said: “Yeah, I love this. Bolton are a team that I am very excited about. If you had to ask me right now who wins League One, my answer is Bolton Wanderers. Yeah, I think they’re really strong.

“I think the results early in the season maybe didn’t come, but the performances were there. When you look at the quality of their attacking quartet that I think we can we can say pretty happily is is the going to be the the first-choice attacking quartet.

“With [Marcus] Forss playing in behind [Mason] Burstow, with [Amario] Cozier-Duberry on the right, Thierry Gale on the left — who’s looking lively and kind of improving performance on performance — as you’d expect having come to Bolton over the course of the summer.

“Gale with a really nicely taken first goal, having gone close prior to that. He then created a second goal for Marcus Forss. I just think he is going to score an absolute hatful playing for this team. He’s such a good finisher.

“His movement is so good. I think, because of him being moved out to playing off the right-hand side for Middlesbrough, I think it’s basically been forgotten that he is basically just a goalsman.

“He’s someone who, playing No.10 or playing as the more advanced striker is going to score a lot of them and is a very good finisher. Burstow with a sweetly struck effort from outside the box, just cushioning into the bottom left hand corner.

“And then Forss profiting from some really poor defending. Paul Mullin scored a lovely goal to make it 4-1 and give them a little bit of hope but Bolton saw out the game pretty well. And when you look at their options off the bench as well.

“Where they brought on Sam Dalby, the target man who, basically, by no fault of his own, isn’t really getting much of a chance having been a big signing for them in the summer. [Ibrahim] Sissoko coming off the bench, too, who we know can be very very lively.

“They are a side that I think, right now, in terms of performances, consistency, attacking threat, general defensive work where teams find it very hard to create big chances against them, quality throughout the side throughout the side, and depth.

“They look to me to be the ones if there’s going to be a, you know, a curse of this podcast. It’s going to be Bolton. Because, right now, to me, they look like the team to beat.”

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Bolton’s impressive stats in League One

Bolton received a cash windfall in the summer, which is another reason to be excited about them this season. Impressive loan signings like Forss and Cozier-Duberry underline their financial might.

However, the underlying numbers are also particularly impressive as well. Bolton are among the best in the division after nine games.

They have also had the most shots per 90 with 16.56 and faced the fewest with 5.89. By a mile, those are the best stats in the league currently.