Is Bolton’s decent team about to be destroyed?

I saw a story yesterday about how Bolton Wanderers could be set to lose some of their best players in January.

I wonder if boss Owen Coyle has been consulted about this. It seems that the Trotters have been overstretching their budget for years.

Chairman

Bolton’s chairman Phil Gartside has admitted that they might need to sell players in January to balance the books.

Gartside told Bloomberg: “If a Champions League team knocks on our door in January that’s the best time to sell an asset because Champions League teams will pay the money.”

In-form striker Johan Elmander will be available for a knockdown fee of just £2million as his contract is expiring next summer. The Swede has finally found his form this season and has a host of clubs chasing his signature.

Gartside continued: “He’s out of contract at the end of this season and again if someone knocks on the door in January then that’s obviously a consideration we have to make.”

“Owners should be allowed to invest in equity. So if you, as an owner, want to buy a striker for £10million that shouldn’t be a problem.

“But what you then can’t do is pay him extortionate wages that take you out of the break-even situation. We are carrying too many on the wage bill.

“To be fair, nine players are out of contract in the summer, within them heavy earners, and we’ll decide if we want to offer them new contracts.”

Debts

According to figures I have read Bolton is £93million in debt. That’s a major sum to quite a small club. Bolton doesn’t have the fan base or infrastructure to be a Premier League club. They have overstretched themselves by paying higher wages than they could afford.

You can see where Mr Gartside is coming from by saying players may have to be sold. He knows he now needs to cut costs to keep the club in business. If the club doesn’t sell players then in a few years or even months then they may not have a club.

Although fans and manager Owen Coyle won’t like the fact that they will be losing some of their top players it seems like a necessary evil.

Style

Trotters boss Owen Coyle has tried to change the style of Bolton’s game. And you can see the seeds of change when Bolton plays. This season they have played some good football and no longer just play the long ball game they used to play under big Sam Allardyce.

Just when it looks like he’s making progress he could lose some of his best players. Coyle is very ambitious and I’m sure if his best players are sold from under him he won’t be at the club much longer. He worked under tight constraints at Burnley but losing good players doesn’t usually improve your team.

Asset

Bolton centre-back Gary Cahill is Bolton’s most saleable asset. There is a minimum release clause of £17.5million in his contract and it’s believed that Tottenham are ready to make a move for the newly capped England star.

Cahill is one of the best up and coming defenders in the country and I’m sure a lot of other clubs will be interested in signing the 24 year-old. He has been a rock at the back since signing for the Trotters and he has already admitted he would like to play for a big club. I wouldn’t be surprised if he left the Reebok in January.

Growing

I have to admit I have never been a great lover of Bolton as a football club. The reason being the brand of football they previously played but as I stated earlier that is slowly but surely being changed by Owen Coyle.

It will be a shame for Coyle and the Trotters fans if they have to sell the likes of Cahill and Elmander. However the harsh realities of football finances have hit home at the club. Gartside may be seen as the villain now but he is only trying to keep the Trotters afloat.

Is Phil Gartside right to consider selling Bolton’s best players?