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League One might be a step back into the unknown for Wanderers, but just as much of a mystery to fans will be the squad they take into the third tier for the first time in 23 years.
Though it is hoped some fiscal sanity will accompany the takeover and that the days of unsustainable spending are at an end, retaining a squad that will be competitive next season must also be a priority for Dean Holdsworth and Ken Anderson.
Simply lopping off higher earning players who remain under contract has proved easier said than done since the Whites dropped out of the Premier League.
The club's new owners got a glimpse of the task ahead when they tried and failed to send some first-team players out on loan before last Thursday’s deadline.
Likewise, scrapping the whole squad and starting again – a rather militant but not uncommon thought among the club’s suffering supporters – is simply not feasible outside the realms of a computer game.
Wanderers will be helped in their cost-cutting by the fact 20 players are out of contract this summer, with only a select few likely to get an opportunity to re-sign.
An option exists to extend Rob Holding’s contract, and one the club would be foolish not to explore, but other youngsters’ futures are also up for debate.
Kaiyne Woolery has impressed in his limited game time and was the only player to emerge from the 6-0 whitewash against Bristol City with any credit.
Tom Walker also got a rare start at Ashton Gate and one of Jimmy Phillips’ biggest tasks in the coming weeks is to show his once bright promise has not been extinguished by months of being left in the dark by Neil Lennon.
Oscar Threlkeld, currently out on loan at Plymouth Argyle, has been tipped to come back to his native North West and organise a new deal. His versatility as a right-back or holding midfielder could be important too.
Both Zach Clough and Josh Vela are safely under contract and do not fall under the high earner category that attracts such scorn from supporters.
The academy graduates are, however, the most marketable players on the club’s books and while a spine of Holding-Vela-Clough running through next season’s team is a romantic notion, there are no guarantees.
Likewise, Max Clayton’s injury problems over the last 12 months mean he is an unknown factor.
Leaving it entirely to the kids is a fanciful thought. Even Phillips – as strong an advocate for promoting from within that you will find at Bolton – suggested it was a “bit of a juggling act” to find the right mix between youth and experience.
Wanderers may have to be selective with the senior players they take forward as the cold mathematics of a division bound by salary capping kicks in.
That is bad news for Mark Davies, Ben Amos, Jay Spearing, Darren Pratley and even the mid-ranging earners such as Liam Trotter, Derik Osede, Gary Madine and Dean Moxey who have a contract for next year.
Though one of the highest earners in the squad, the four-year deal Amos signed last summer means he is immune to the salary capping rules in League One.
Like Amos, there are currently no realistic challengers to a target man like Madine, or a left-back such as Moxey but their position could become less secure should a new manager bring in, presumably cheaper, replacements.
The club’s new owners are yet to show their cards on that front. To what extent the Sports Shield and Inner Circle consortium will look to gamble on an immediate return to the Championship depends on the depth of their pockets – and though there has been much speculation, no one yet knows what spending power they really have.
A budget has already been submitted to the Football League which addresses the £5million-plus drop in TV revenue and sponsorship that would accompany relegation but will lessons be learned from the past?
Striking the balance between taking a competitive squad into League One and one that allows the club to stabilise once more is not an easy task.
Source
Though it is hoped some fiscal sanity will accompany the takeover and that the days of unsustainable spending are at an end, retaining a squad that will be competitive next season must also be a priority for Dean Holdsworth and Ken Anderson.
Simply lopping off higher earning players who remain under contract has proved easier said than done since the Whites dropped out of the Premier League.
The club's new owners got a glimpse of the task ahead when they tried and failed to send some first-team players out on loan before last Thursday’s deadline.
Likewise, scrapping the whole squad and starting again – a rather militant but not uncommon thought among the club’s suffering supporters – is simply not feasible outside the realms of a computer game.
Wanderers will be helped in their cost-cutting by the fact 20 players are out of contract this summer, with only a select few likely to get an opportunity to re-sign.
An option exists to extend Rob Holding’s contract, and one the club would be foolish not to explore, but other youngsters’ futures are also up for debate.
Kaiyne Woolery has impressed in his limited game time and was the only player to emerge from the 6-0 whitewash against Bristol City with any credit.
Tom Walker also got a rare start at Ashton Gate and one of Jimmy Phillips’ biggest tasks in the coming weeks is to show his once bright promise has not been extinguished by months of being left in the dark by Neil Lennon.
Oscar Threlkeld, currently out on loan at Plymouth Argyle, has been tipped to come back to his native North West and organise a new deal. His versatility as a right-back or holding midfielder could be important too.
Both Zach Clough and Josh Vela are safely under contract and do not fall under the high earner category that attracts such scorn from supporters.
The academy graduates are, however, the most marketable players on the club’s books and while a spine of Holding-Vela-Clough running through next season’s team is a romantic notion, there are no guarantees.
Likewise, Max Clayton’s injury problems over the last 12 months mean he is an unknown factor.
Leaving it entirely to the kids is a fanciful thought. Even Phillips – as strong an advocate for promoting from within that you will find at Bolton – suggested it was a “bit of a juggling act” to find the right mix between youth and experience.
Wanderers may have to be selective with the senior players they take forward as the cold mathematics of a division bound by salary capping kicks in.
That is bad news for Mark Davies, Ben Amos, Jay Spearing, Darren Pratley and even the mid-ranging earners such as Liam Trotter, Derik Osede, Gary Madine and Dean Moxey who have a contract for next year.
Though one of the highest earners in the squad, the four-year deal Amos signed last summer means he is immune to the salary capping rules in League One.
Like Amos, there are currently no realistic challengers to a target man like Madine, or a left-back such as Moxey but their position could become less secure should a new manager bring in, presumably cheaper, replacements.
The club’s new owners are yet to show their cards on that front. To what extent the Sports Shield and Inner Circle consortium will look to gamble on an immediate return to the Championship depends on the depth of their pockets – and though there has been much speculation, no one yet knows what spending power they really have.
A budget has already been submitted to the Football League which addresses the £5million-plus drop in TV revenue and sponsorship that would accompany relegation but will lessons be learned from the past?
Striking the balance between taking a competitive squad into League One and one that allows the club to stabilise once more is not an easy task.
Source
