Bolton Wanderers owner seeking fresh investment of up to £30m

Ken Anderson is searching for up to £30million of investment at Wanderers this summer.

The Bolton chairman is under no illusion what his job entails if Phil Parkinson’s side succeed in their fight against relegation from the Championship.

In order to help the Whites compete in an inflated transfer market, Anderson intends to find a backer with “deeper pockets” and an ambition of Premier League football.

Wanderers’ playing budget is known to be among the division’s lowest this season, and Parkinson has been unable to pay a transfer fee since walking through the doors of the Macron Stadium. But Anderson accepts that has to change if Bolton are to continue an upward trajectory.

“We need to get to a level of budget which gives us the chance to challenge,” he told The Bolton News. “It doesn’t need to be something at the level of Wolves or Derby. But I think somewhere between £10-30million. It is my job to get that.

“I think we know where to go to get it. It’s a fact that most of the money isn’t coming from the UK anymore.

“Middle East, Asia, China, the US – that is really where my background has been in the past. And it’s where I’ll look again.”

Anderson shelved talk of selling the club a couple of months into the season after feeling the speculation had been a distraction to the team and the supporters.

Should Wanderers survive for a second season of Championship football the chairman would ideally like to stay on and work alongside the potential backers.

“We have said right from the start that to finish 21st would be a success because it would give us the opportunity to build in that second season.

“It is my job then to find financial investors – but this isn’t about selling the club.

“We want to move alongside the bigger clubs in this division and we’re realistic enough to know we will need investment.

“Bill Kenwright is still involved at Everton but he has found investors with deeper pockets.”

Source

I do honestly think without Ken, the Trotters would by now be history. He might have his own agenda but thus far has managed to keep us afloat. Doesn't matter what anyone thinks of the man, he's done a job and we are still playing soccer. Might do some good for some folk to read the "Tale of the Golden Goose."
   Lets hope he can get the investment he seeks and we play another season.

People should click on the link and read the comments on there (not something I would normally recommend!).

If they do they will find almost universal praise for what Anderson has achieved - and this coming from many who are certainly not regular Anderson lovers.

In fact only two people have posted negativity against Anderson - one of whom wrote the Lion of Vienna article that Wanderlust was so quick to post up on the 'accounts' thread and the other whose best mate is a current ST Board member.

No hidden agenda from those two then!

I guess any inward investment will depend on what Anderson is willing to give up. He is clear that he doesn't want to sell the club, and given the fact that he picked it up for peanuts you'd have thought anyone willing to invest £30 million would expect full ownership, rather than a minority shareholding which is what he seems to be offering. Either that or it will be another year of selling off assets whilst paying himself an enormous fee, which historically is his modus operandum. 

Are there any other possibilities? Can't see anything other than shares or assets with which to satisfy potential investors but he'll have to offer something and I'm not sure anyone would pay big bucks to an organisation in which Anderson retains a controlling interest. We''ll see.

karlypants wrote:Ken Anderson is searching for up to £30million of investment at Wanderers this summer.

The Bolton chairman is under no illusion what his job entails if Phil Parkinson’s side succeed in their fight against relegation from the Championship.

In order to help the Whites compete in an inflated transfer market, Anderson intends to find a backer with “deeper pockets” and an ambition of Premier League football.

Wanderers’ playing budget is known to be among the division’s lowest this season, and Parkinson has been unable to pay a transfer fee since walking through the doors of the Macron Stadium. But Anderson accepts that has to change if Bolton are to continue an upward trajectory.

“We need to get to a level of budget which gives us the chance to challenge,” he told The Bolton News. “It doesn’t need to be something at the level of Wolves or Derby. But I think somewhere between £10-30million. It is my job to get that.

“I think we know where to go to get it. It’s a fact that most of the money isn’t coming from the UK anymore.

“Middle East, Asia, China, the US – that is really where my background has been in the past. And it’s where I’ll look again.”

Anderson shelved talk of selling the club a couple of months into the season after feeling the speculation had been a distraction to the team and the supporters.

Should Wanderers survive for a second season of Championship football the chairman would ideally like to stay on and work alongside the potential backers.

“We have said right from the start that to finish 21st would be a success because it would give us the opportunity to build in that second season.

“It is my job then to find financial investors – but this isn’t about selling the club.

“We want to move alongside the bigger clubs in this division and we’re realistic enough to know we will need investment.

“Bill Kenwright is still involved at Everton but he has found investors with deeper pockets.”

Source

At no point what, Ken?

Very Trumpian contradicting oneself like that even though the statement is a matter of public record.