MJ to MK!

The midfielder, who made exactly 100 appearances in all competitions over the course of two-and-a-half seasons is due to sign a permanent deal with the League Two club for an undisclosed fee, according to reports which surfaced this evening.

Former Liverpool academy star Williams was one of a handful of signings made in January 2021 which transformed Wanderers’ 2020/21 season and spurred them on to promotion in League Two.

He established himself in the heart of Ian Evatt’s midfield and was a regular on the club’s return to League One but fell out of favour for spells of last season before undergoing a clean-up operation on his knee in January.

After that he returned to the side and showed his versatility by dropping into the back three to help solve an injury crisis in the final few weeks of the campaign.

Williams also clocked up his 35th appearance, which triggered a one-year extension clause in his contract.

The Liverpudlian played the second half of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Bamber Bridge, where he once again filled in at centre-half.

His impending sale comes as some surprise, given the fact that Bolton have lost defenders George Johnston and Eoin Toal to injury in the last week, with both players unlikely to feature at the start of the season.

Wanderers are looking to strengthen significantly in the midfield area this summer, however, and with Williams being offered the chance of regular football at a club which hopes to be challenging for promotion this season, they would not stand in his way.

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I hope we have someone lined up to replace him as at the moment not sure we can afford to let him go.

I know he lost his place last season but he is a decent defensive mid and can fill in at CB as well.

I hope so too Norpig because at the moment we are a significantly weaker team than we were this time last season and we didn’t quite make it then. MJ was our only true defensive mid and never let us down so like you I’m hoping IE has a ready made replacement for him ready to come in. When you think from last year that’s MJ, Dapo, Lee, Bradley and Trafford missing who would probably have been regular starters most weeks. I sincerely hope Evatt’s got it right because so far I’m slightly less than impressed.

Considering we are two center backs down at the moment I can't see this as a good move for us. Although not my favorite player he does a good job for us when called upon and always put in 100%.
I agree with Whitesince63 above - the team is weaker now than last season. Hopefully more are coming in.

Ian Evatt has confirmed MJ Williams is in talks with MK Dons – but insists nothing has been finalised at this stage.

The versatile midfielder has been linked with a move to Stadium MK as Graham Alexander’s side aim to bounce back from last season’s relegation to League Two.

Williams had his contract extended at Wanderers this summer after activating an appearance-based clause.

But Evatt says the club will not stand in the 27-year-old’s way if he feels it is the right move for his career.

“It is a possibility, but there is nothing finalised yet,” the manager explained. “What we will do is always discuss it openly with the player.

“MJ has been brilliant for this football club over the past two-and-a-half-years. I have a lot of respect for him and he has respect for us.

“If someone offers him the chance of a longer contract and some more minutes, then we will wish them well and hope he will produce the goods for them.

“But as I said, nothing is finalised or completed yet. It is still very much MJ’s decision and we will wait to see what happens.”

Evatt was speaking after the 3-1 win at Curzon Ashton, with Josh Dacres-Cogley, Gethin Jones and Cameron Jerome getting on the scoresheet.

“I think it was a step forward,” he added. “There was some progression. I thought in the first half hour we were very, very good.

“Then, because we are having so much joy we almost start rotating for rotation’s sake. Everyone wants to get involved but if we just kept positional discipline, we would have caused them a lot more problems.

“But some of the patterns we have been working on were there for all to see. I still want some more productivity in the good areas we get into – it is definitely something we need to improve on.

“But I think there are really positive signs and you can clearly see the stuff we have worked on. It was a big step forward from Saturday.”

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Not sure dropping down to league 2 with MK Dons would be that great a career move? He may get more minutes but i still think he is decent enough to play in league 1.

GONE!!!

Good move for MJ to a good club who I expect to bounce straight back up next year. Sad to see him go because he never let you down but if IE has someone better in mind then it can only be good. It’s gone really quiet on the incoming front so far but I’m sure signings will happen soon. I think we now need a replacement in defensive mid for MJ, a No10 to replace Lee and possibly a good box to box midfielder as well. I’m really not fussed about another RWB because we have Cogley, Jones and even Randell Williams who can play there and now that we know we’ll have Toal back in the middle I’d say we’re pretty much ok there. Even Sads could take that role if needed though I’d rather see him played more centrally or as a wide midfielder to bring on late in games, that is unless Evatt moves him out too, which I hope he doesn’t.

Who changed the name of my thread? i'm not complaining, just wish i'd thought of it first 

Norpig wrote:Who changed the name of my thread? i'm not complaining, just wish i'd thought of it first 

It was me - it simply made more sense now that he had gone rather than the original 'was he going?'.

I didn't think anyone would mind.

I tend to do little tweaks like that quite often to make things read better for others to see and read.

'Best years of my career' - Williams reflects on Bolton spell

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MJ Williams has shared a heartfelt message following his Bolton exit to join MK Dons on a permanent deal.

The midfielder joined the Whites in January 2021 and went on to make 100 appearances for the club in total.

He was part of the squad that clinched promotion from League Two and also came off the bench in the 4-0 win against Plymouth in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley.

Williams says playing for Wanderers was “a special honour” and hopes the team can go all the way this season.

The 27-year-old wrote on his Instagram page: “Where do I begin? There past few years at this amazing club have been the best years of my career.

“I would like to say thank you to the gaffer, who put his trust in me to bring me to the club, and all the staff who have given me everything every single day.

“I have made some unbelievable memories – from getting promoted from League Two and winning at Wembley in the Papa Johns Trophy.

“To you fans, I can’t thank you enough for all your support week in, week out. To play for this club is a special honour. This club will have a special place in my heart and I will always be a fan. I really hope this season you get the promotion this club deserves.

“And lastly to my team-mates, over the past few years I have made friends for life. I’m going to miss every single one of you.

“Coming in every day and sharing a changing room with you all has been a pleasure and something I’m going to miss. You all deserve massive success and this season I’m convinced that will happen. I will be supporting you every week.”

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