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Wanderers have revealed how much it will cost to watch them next season – but so many questions remain unanswered.
In just 37 days we find out the running order for the 2018/19 campaign, followed just six weeks later by the big kick-off.
Before then we must cram in the World Cup finals, Little Mix and The Killers will perform at the Macron Stadium – which might by then have a completely different name – and a pre-season campaign must be drafted up.
Who reports for training in late June is anyone’s guess. Just nine players are contracted – and more than 20 first team, development squad and staff members need their futures sorting one way or another.
Even manager Phil Parkinson has little idea whether he will be in the dugout on August 4, such is the uncertainty surrounding Wanderers’ ownership.
This promises to be one of the most eventful summers in recent memory at Bolton but the clock is ticking and perhaps a degree of clarity could do those season ticket sales the world of good?
Ken Anderson’s next move will have a significant bearing on the levels of expectation among many of the loyal fans who will be there, no matter what.
Back in March he pledged to try and find up to £30million in investment and thanks to the last-day heroics of Adam Le Fondre, David Wheater and Aaron Wilbraham, the product he is offering is considerably easier to market.
Even though Anderson attempted to stifle talk of selling the club at the end of last year, fearing they had become a distraction to the team, the enquiries continued. Sensible investors bided their time to see if they could pick off a bargain. Other interested parties wanted to test Anderson’s claim that he could handle the incumbent debt without running into financial problems.
But since the players finished celebrating their great escape there has been a noticeable shift in mood, now focussed purely on getting a deal done.
Anderson’s regular website missives have slowed, indicating he has plenty to occupy his time. And staff who have worked tirelessly through the hardest of times are now talking in hushed excitement that better times could be on the horizon.
Football won’t wait for Wanderers, though. As we discovered when shares passed from Eddie Davies to Sports Shield BWFC and then to Anderson alone, the process is complicated and can have a significant impact on what happens on the pitch.
It seems difficult to see how Parkinson – or any other manager, for that matter – could press ahead properly with a plan for recruitment until they know what kind of budget is on offer.
Unlike last season, when the embargo and draconian new EFL salary capping rules dashed Wanderers’ chances of signing the cream of the free transfer crop, they are now able to do business as quickly as they like.
The number of quality free agents on the market appears to be lower this summer, too, which increases the pressure further on Bolton to get their affairs in order as soon as possible.
Whether Anderson retains a level of control, or looks to sell outright, time will tell. And it is only sensible he should find the right deal for both himself and the club he has guided over the past two years.
But time is of the essence. It would be a shame for Wanderers to finally compete on a more level playing ground in the transfer market, with no room left to manoeuvre.
Source
In just 37 days we find out the running order for the 2018/19 campaign, followed just six weeks later by the big kick-off.
Before then we must cram in the World Cup finals, Little Mix and The Killers will perform at the Macron Stadium – which might by then have a completely different name – and a pre-season campaign must be drafted up.
Who reports for training in late June is anyone’s guess. Just nine players are contracted – and more than 20 first team, development squad and staff members need their futures sorting one way or another.
Even manager Phil Parkinson has little idea whether he will be in the dugout on August 4, such is the uncertainty surrounding Wanderers’ ownership.
This promises to be one of the most eventful summers in recent memory at Bolton but the clock is ticking and perhaps a degree of clarity could do those season ticket sales the world of good?
Ken Anderson’s next move will have a significant bearing on the levels of expectation among many of the loyal fans who will be there, no matter what.
Back in March he pledged to try and find up to £30million in investment and thanks to the last-day heroics of Adam Le Fondre, David Wheater and Aaron Wilbraham, the product he is offering is considerably easier to market.
Even though Anderson attempted to stifle talk of selling the club at the end of last year, fearing they had become a distraction to the team, the enquiries continued. Sensible investors bided their time to see if they could pick off a bargain. Other interested parties wanted to test Anderson’s claim that he could handle the incumbent debt without running into financial problems.
But since the players finished celebrating their great escape there has been a noticeable shift in mood, now focussed purely on getting a deal done.
Anderson’s regular website missives have slowed, indicating he has plenty to occupy his time. And staff who have worked tirelessly through the hardest of times are now talking in hushed excitement that better times could be on the horizon.
Football won’t wait for Wanderers, though. As we discovered when shares passed from Eddie Davies to Sports Shield BWFC and then to Anderson alone, the process is complicated and can have a significant impact on what happens on the pitch.
It seems difficult to see how Parkinson – or any other manager, for that matter – could press ahead properly with a plan for recruitment until they know what kind of budget is on offer.
Unlike last season, when the embargo and draconian new EFL salary capping rules dashed Wanderers’ chances of signing the cream of the free transfer crop, they are now able to do business as quickly as they like.
The number of quality free agents on the market appears to be lower this summer, too, which increases the pressure further on Bolton to get their affairs in order as soon as possible.
Whether Anderson retains a level of control, or looks to sell outright, time will tell. And it is only sensible he should find the right deal for both himself and the club he has guided over the past two years.
But time is of the essence. It would be a shame for Wanderers to finally compete on a more level playing ground in the transfer market, with no room left to manoeuvre.
Source