What now for Bolton Wanderers?

Championship side Bolton Wanderers face losing up to ten players this summer, with almost half the squad out of contract.

The Trotters have struggled this season and were relegated from the Premier League on the last day of the season, to end their 11 year stay in the English top flight.

Exits

The Trotters have lots of players out of contracts this summer.

Midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker has activated a release clause in his contract which means he is now free to join a Premier League club as a free agent. The 28 year-old is already being linked with top flight clubs.

The likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen and Zat Knight have been offered new contracts. It remains to be seen if the pair will sign new deals at the Reebok Stadium, with the pair also being linked with moves to top flight clubs.

Striker and captain Kevin Davies has signed a new on-year contract ahead of the new season in the second tier of English football. Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov has also agreed to stay for another year with the Trotters. However, there is likely to be lots of exits from the Reebok Stadium this summer.

Luck

Last season Bolton suffered some terrible luck when it came to players getting injured. Two of their star players from the previous season Stuart Holden and Chung-Yong Lee missed almost the entire Premier League campaign with serious injuries.

Their loss was a big blow to Boltons hopes of survival in the Premier League. Wanderers couldn’t afford to lose two players of their class and still be competitive in the top flight.

Boss

I have always liked Bolton boss Owen Coyle. He always seems positive when he gives interviews and he likes his teams to play attractive, passing football. However, without Holden and Lee last season the team ended up as very functional, without much flair.

Coyle has the potential to be a really good boss but he needs to be given the resources to do his job. The former-Burnley boss is still highly-regarded in the game and I still think he can do a good job at the Reebok Stadium.

Rebuild

With a lot of players set to leave Wanderers this summer Owen Coyle has a big job on his hands rebuilding the squad for next season. Coyle has managed to bring in some really good players for very good fees in his tenure at Bolton already.

Coyle has had to work on a small budget at Bolton and this summer will be no different as the club look to cut costs. Their wage will be dramatically reduced by the exit of some high-profile players but they will have to be replaced.

Backing

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside has backed his boss despite the fact that the club were relegated under the Scot. It’s a very rare show of confidence in a boss who has just been relegated from the top flight.

The Bolton chairman has already stated that he understands why the team has struggled this season. He has is well aware of the number of injuries Coyle’s team sustained last season.

Fresh

This will sound strange but I think relegation could be a good thing for Bolton. A lot of the players at the club was on wages that the club simply couldn’t sustain. This is a chance for Owen Coyle to build a new team.

Bolton Wanderers have been punching above their financial weight for quite a while now and they could no longer afford to pay Premier League wages. If reports are to be believed the Trotters are in major financial trouble.

The fact the wage will be cut drastically this summer may help the club get back onto a more realistic financial footing. Relegation could very well be a blessing in disguise for the Trotters.

Is relegation a blessing in disguise for Bolton?