Bolton Wanderers have signed forward, Ryan Hardie on a season-long loan from Wrexham.
Hardie’s move has reunited him with his former manager, Steven Schumacher from their time together at Plymouth Argyle in which they won promotion from League One to Championship at the end of the 2022-23 season.
The timing of this reunion also comes after Hardie endured a difficult 2025-26 season in which he scored one goal in 10 appearances for Wrexham, which was followed by just one goal in four appearances on loan at Huddersfield in the second half of the campaign.
“It’s a massive factor. I can’t beat about it,” commented Hardie on Schumacher’s reunion. “He was one of the reasons I went to Plymouth and one of the reasons why I did so well there.
“We’ve had promotions together and we’ve done well in the Championship at parts before he left. So, yeah, he’s a massive part in it and I’m looking forward to working with him again.”
Bolton had previously monitored Hardie during his career and the 29-year-old is now happy to be part of the Trotters, having previously played against them on various occasions over the years.
“I’ve been here as a player a few times, playing against the club, and it’s going to be nice to walk out on this side of the tunnel. I’m looking forward to getting back on the pitch again and back doing what I do best, which is scoring goals and hopefully helping this club go as high as we can.
“I think the supporters are a massive part of this club. You can see the stadium and when this place is bouncing it’s a hard place to come.
“I knew that as a player previously, so when I’m going to be on this end of it it’s going to be special walking out there. The fans are the thing that drives this club and it’s obviously a huge place as well.”
Bolton are now back in the Championship with Hardie keen to utilise a mindset of the players and club deserving to be in the second tier on merit.
“The club deserves to be here. You could say there’s not really going to be time to play into it. We need to all go with the same mindset of ‘we’re here, we deserve to be here’.
“So, yeah, I’m excited for it and can’t wait to get started. I’m the type of player that gives everything wherever I am, no matter the situation, lone or permanent. It’s something that I’m excited for and I can’t wait to get going.”
Hardie began his career at Rangers where he scored twice in 17 appearances amidst two loan spells at Raith Rovers either side of a loan stint at St Mirren before he spent 2017-18 & 18-19 seasons on loan at Livingston where he netted 15 goals in 39 appearances.
A brief stint at Blackpool followed in 2019-20 season before the Tangerines loaned him to Plymouth in the second half of that season and first half of 2020-21 season, which became permanent in January 2021 and saw him go on to score 74 goals in 248 appearances until he left in summer 2025.
During his time at Home Park, he scored 17 goals in the 22-23 season to help them claim promotion to the second tier, then scored a fourth-round winner to eliminate Liverpool from the 2024-25 FA Cup.
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