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PHIL Parkinson will be pushing for an answer on David Wheater’s future this week as he contemplates bringing the defender back to Wanderers.
The Whites boss invited Wheater to train with the club last Tuesday but looked to keep a lid on speculation that a contract would follow.
Parkinson rates the big defender but knows clubs in the Championship have also sniffed around him since his release from Bolton. He is also waiting on the outcome of Rob Holding’s situation before making any more major investments.
But with just 20 days until the season kicks-off with a home clash against Sheffield United, the manager believes Wheater needs to be training full-time with a club if he is to stand a chance of playing on the opening day.
“He is two-and-a-half weeks behind the rest of the lads, so I would have thought whether he will sign for us or sign somewhere else he can’t leave it much longer to be ready before the start of the season,” he told The Bolton News.
“We have had one or two injuries at the back, so David has trained with us and we gave him half an hour on Saturday. I will then assess things this week.
“There has been interest in him but he lives locally and he’s a popular lad in and around the club. This gives us a chance to look at him.”
Bolton-based Wheater came on as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Mansfield Town and is keen to stay in the area with his young family.
Despite a number of injury problems during his four-and-a-half years with the Whites, the centre-half – now 29 – believes he is now clear of any problems which could further hinder his career.
Wigan Athletic, Wolves and Blackburn Rovers have all sounded out the former Middlesbrough man’s representatives this summer but have yet to make a firm offer.
Parkinson is also looking to boost his options on the wing and was linked with another Riverside man in Muzzy Carayol yesterday.
Reports suggest Aitor Karanka is willing to allow the 27-year-old to leave on loan after Boro’s promotion to the Premier League.
He has spent time on loan at Brighton, Huddersfield and Leeds in the last 18 months and was a target for former Whites boss Neil Lennon last summer.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/14625293.Holding_future_could_be_key_to_Wheater_swoop_for_Wanderers/?ref=mr&lp=1
The Whites boss invited Wheater to train with the club last Tuesday but looked to keep a lid on speculation that a contract would follow.
Parkinson rates the big defender but knows clubs in the Championship have also sniffed around him since his release from Bolton. He is also waiting on the outcome of Rob Holding’s situation before making any more major investments.
But with just 20 days until the season kicks-off with a home clash against Sheffield United, the manager believes Wheater needs to be training full-time with a club if he is to stand a chance of playing on the opening day.
“He is two-and-a-half weeks behind the rest of the lads, so I would have thought whether he will sign for us or sign somewhere else he can’t leave it much longer to be ready before the start of the season,” he told The Bolton News.
“We have had one or two injuries at the back, so David has trained with us and we gave him half an hour on Saturday. I will then assess things this week.
“There has been interest in him but he lives locally and he’s a popular lad in and around the club. This gives us a chance to look at him.”
Bolton-based Wheater came on as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Mansfield Town and is keen to stay in the area with his young family.
Despite a number of injury problems during his four-and-a-half years with the Whites, the centre-half – now 29 – believes he is now clear of any problems which could further hinder his career.
Wigan Athletic, Wolves and Blackburn Rovers have all sounded out the former Middlesbrough man’s representatives this summer but have yet to make a firm offer.
Parkinson is also looking to boost his options on the wing and was linked with another Riverside man in Muzzy Carayol yesterday.
Reports suggest Aitor Karanka is willing to allow the 27-year-old to leave on loan after Boro’s promotion to the Premier League.
He has spent time on loan at Brighton, Huddersfield and Leeds in the last 18 months and was a target for former Whites boss Neil Lennon last summer.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/14625293.Holding_future_could_be_key_to_Wheater_swoop_for_Wanderers/?ref=mr&lp=1