MK Dons announce signing of defender Gethin Jones from Bolton

MK Dons have signed defender Gethin Jones, who will join the club from Bolton Wanderers.

The 29-year-old will move from Bolton to Milton Keynes at the start of July upon the expiry of his contract in the North West, with Jones signing a contract of undisclosed length at Stadium MK.

The deal makes Jones’ MK Dons’ third new signing ahead of the 2025/26 season, following the previously confirmed arrivals of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy.

Jones moves after five years playing for Bolton, with the defender having joined Wanderers from Carlisle in 2020. He achieved promotion from League Two to League One in his first season with the club.

In all, he made over 185 appearances for Bolton, scoring 8 times in the process. One of these came as Bolton won the EFL Trophy in 2023.

Jones has also received 6 caps for the Australian national team, having made his debut for the Socceroos last year.

The defender told the official MK Dons website

He said, “I look forward to playing for the Dons fans, it’s a great stadium and I look forward to seeing them here. I want to get MK Dons back to where it should be, it’s a brilliant club and to get that promotion would be perfect.

“I’m predominantly a right-back, but I can play right centre-half across the back five, and as a wing-back. I’m the type of player who likes to get up and down the pitch, I like to get crosses in, I like to defend; I’m an all-round full-back who enjoys running so I’ll be up and down the pitch quite a bit.”

His new boss Paul Warne said he was very happy to bring Jones to Stadium MK.

He said, “I’ve admired Gethin for many seasons, and I’ve faced him on numerous occasions. He knows what it takes to win, and he’s been successful in a promotion campaign and an EFL Trophy lift with Bolton.

“He can play in multiple positions across the backline, although as an attacking full-back, he provides great delivery into the box, but his flexibility enables us to play different systems. 

“When we met, I really liked how he was as a man and his enthusiasm for the game. I find that usually, the players who love the sport give everything, and that’s what we want at this football club.”