Secret Investor Revealed?

DEAN HOLDSWORTH and boxer Amir Khan are set to complete a £15m takeover of Bolton this week.

The duo are part of the Sports Shield investment group, with former striker Holdsworth - who scored 39 goals in 158 appearances for the club between 1997 and 2003 - set to be be unveiled as chairman.

Starsport can reveal that two-time former world welterweight champion and Bolton fan Khan, 28, has also agreed to stage future fights at the Macron Stadium.

The takeover will mean the end of the 16-year reign of current chairman Phil Gartside, who is understood to have agreed to pay off the club's debts.

But the change of ownership looks certain to cast more doubt over the future of under-pressure boss Neil Lennon.

Wanderers are currently second bottom after just one win all season and none in the last 10 games.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Daily star:D

This nightmare just keeps getting worse...........

BOLTON boxing hero Amir Khan will stage future fights at the Macron Stadium as part of ambitious new takeover plans from the Sports Shield Consortium.

The Bolton News understands that the 28-year-old two-time former world champion is not one of the investors behind the leading bid to buy the club from owner Eddie Davies.

But Wanderers fan and Olympic silver medallist Khan has agreed an exciting deal to fight in his hometown for the first time in seven years, providing just one of the revenue streams that Sports Shield are looking to tap into if they get the green light to assume ownership of the club.


Khan last boxed in Bolton in 2008 when he beat Martin Kristjansen for the WBO intercontinental lightweight title in seven rounds.

As momentum builds behind the bid, it is now known that Dean Holdsworth, the former club record signing, would take a leading role in the new hierarchy, if it gets the go-ahead.

The appointment of football financial expert Trevor Birch as a financial advisor to Wanderers this evening is thought to be a big step forward in moving the deal on quickly – with the new owners keen to be in place well before the January transfer window.

Talks continued today and are thought to be moving in a positive direction.

If Sports Shield take ownership of the club it is understood that Phil Gartside will not be retained as chairman.

The 63-year-old, who has been at the helm since 1999, was described in a club statement this evening as “seriously ill” and has stepped down from active duty until his recovery.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

He's even going to fight at the Macron to raise money!

BoltonTillIDie wrote:DEAN HOLDSWORTH and boxer Amir Khan are set to complete a £15m takeover of Bolton this week.

The duo are part of the Sports Shield investment group, with former striker Holdsworth - who scored 39 goals in 158 appearances for the club between 1997 and 2003 - set to be be unveiled as chairman.

Starsport can reveal that two-time former world welterweight champion and Bolton fan Khan, 28, has also agreed to stage future fights at the Macron Stadium.

The takeover will mean the end of the 16-year reign of current chairman Phil Gartside, who is understood to have agreed to pay off the club's debts.

But the change of ownership looks certain to cast more doubt over the future of under-pressure boss Neil Lennon.

Wanderers are currently second bottom after just one win all season and none in the last 10 games.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Eh?

That makes no sense at all.

Gartside had a spare £180 million along with that 'fax' in his pocket.

I think not.

I thought the same - didn't realise he was that well off! I'm guessing the meant Eddie??

I'm just desperately hoping it's all bollocks.

But given that they've specifically named "Old Glass Jaw" in their piece, I fear it's probably got some truth to it.

Fuck me....I want Gartside back!

And he's not even officially gone yet!

Good god! I really hope there isn't any truth in this Amir Khan bollocks.

In fact I canit believe it, he currently has his interest in his mega wedding chapel in Deane.

His brain isn't big enough to think about more ventures at the same time.

Breadman wrote:Fuck me....I want Gartside back!

And he's not even officially gone yet!

I actually feel the same.

There is no way am I supporting the club in any way shape or form if that twatting boxer gets his hand in the club.

He really is a prized prick!

karlypants wrote:

Breadman wrote:Fuck me....I want Gartside back!

And he's not even officially gone yet!

I actually feel the same.

There is no way am I supporting the club in any way shape or form if that twatting boxer gets his hand in the club.

He really is a prized prick!

"The Bolton News understands that the 28-year-old two-time former world champion is not one of the investors behind the leading bid to buy the club from owner Eddie Davies."

Whys this a bad thing?  As it stands we are skint, struggling to survive and looks like there might be light at the end of the tunnel.  All the debts will be wiped and hopefully we can actually start investing in the squad.  No its no Billionaire, but being able to have no debt will be massive to us! I'm not bothered who takes over TBH

Boggersbelief wrote:

karlypants wrote:

Breadman wrote:Fuck me....I want Gartside back!

And he's not even officially gone yet!

I actually feel the same.

There is no way am I supporting the club in any way shape or form if that twatting boxer gets his hand in the club.

He really is a prized prick!

"The Bolton News understands that the 28-year-old two-time former world champion is not one of the investors behind the leading bid to buy the club from owner Eddie Davies."

  Cheers mate, not sure how I missed that!

I feel much better now.

BoltonTillIDie wrote:I thought the same - didn't realise he was that well off!  I'm guessing the meant Eddie??

Even that would not make any sense.

Why would Davies 'pay off' the club debt?

We are told he owns the debt - why would he pay himself off?

If it said 'write' off the debt, then that would fit but 'pay' off - that's just nonsensical.

The thing is the club is worth more than £15 million so Dean Holdsworth will get a 50% share of the club perhaps?

Leaving him and his consortium a few quid to invest in players?

Mrs B went to school with Khan's manager's wife (Karen) and they're still friends now.

Resultantly I've had a bit of insight into the bloke's life for the last 15 years and believe me when I say that he is a fucking first class cock.

This isn't a SK type rant based on fuck all apart from a bit of inherited racial prejudice, it's all based on verifiable source material.

S'all I'm saying for tonight but rest assured, I hope it's just his money that the club's getting and not his hands-on involvement.

Because for one thing, we'll be playing in red and have Utd shoehorned into the club's name at some point if his true colours come out, believe me......

BoltonTillIDie wrote:Whys this a bad thing?  As it stands we are skint, struggling to survive and looks like there might be light at the end of the tunnel.  All the debts will be wiped and hopefully we can actually start investing in the squad.  No its no Billionaire, but being able to have no debt will be massive to us!  I'm not bothered who takes over TBH

No, I'm afraid the debt is / was not the problem.

If what we have been led to believe is true, then the debt is owed to Davies and it is not being called in or accruing debt and therefore does not require to be serviced - in other words it is not actually costing us anything - it is basically no more than just a number on the accounts.

The problem is though that our running costs exceed our income and we simply can't carry on in business if we can't do anything about changing that around.

Any takeover will have to address that issue.

I doubt that anything can be done about this in the short term so whoever buys the club it will cost them a reported £15 million to do so (what actually is included in the sale we simply don't know yet) AND subsidies the loss we are making until the clubs costs fall below that of the clubs income.

And all that will have to be done before even just one penny is spent on improving the squad, otherwise a new debt mountain will simply start to build again.

Somebody will have to put something like £25 to £30 million in to the club (£15 million to buy, say £5 million loss in the first year and a further £5 million or so on strengthening the squad) before we even think about breaking even on our trading position - let alone turn a profit.

Just doesn't make any financial sense at all to me.

Khan's going to have to box a great many times at the ground before that sort of money is made - and that doesn't even takes into consideration his glass jaw!!!

Are all 3 of us having a "nuts" moment? 

Amid Khan is NOT one of the backers behind Dean Holdsworth.

karlypants wrote:The thing is the club is worth more than £15 million so Dean Holdsworth will get a 50% share of the club perhaps?

Leaving him and his consortium a few quid to invest in players?

To state the obvious the club is only worth as much as someone is prepared to pay for it.

If the purchase price is less than the assets are worth then whoever lands this 'bargain' will simply sell off the assets, make an immediate profit and withdraw from the club.

Davies might as well do that himself.

Maybe that is where we are heading!