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Neil Lennon has questioned whether “sparring” between potential buyers at Wanderers could be dragging out the ownership battle.
With two main consortia seemingly at the front of the queue – Dean Holdsworth’s Sports Shield Investment and a Thailand-based group – there is still hope that a new buyer could be found for the football club.
Little progress has been made in the last 48 hours, although it is understood another financial backer has now aligned with Sports Shield that could strengthen their own bid.
Lennon is eager to avoid the prospect of administration, which would trigger a 12-point deduction the moment a notice is filed and effectively end any chance of survival in the Championship.
But, like so many fans, he is worried by the lack of developments this week and is eager to see some movement in talks.
“The process is still ongoing. It’s basically as you were,” he told The Bolton News. “I spoke to Trevor on Tuesday and again yesterday (Wednesday), so there are still interested parties and they seem to be doing some sparring at the moment. Whether they can put the money up is another thing.
“Administration would mean you are docked 12 points and basically looking at being a League One club next season. But with the amount of games still to play that’s one scenario you want to avoid.
“It would mean major changes with personnel going forward on the football side of things. We want to avoid that as much as possible.”
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Lennon is optimistic that the involvement of the board’s financial advisor, insolvency specialist Trevor Birch, could be key in preventing administration.
“I think Trevor has a few plans in place to avoid that scenario,” he said.
“He's confident he can avoid that because that would mean we'd be a League One team and we'd just be fulfilling fixtures for the rest of the season.
“What we need is someone to come up with the money and help the club out and just get us through a difficult period until January.
“However, what we may have to do in January is sell some assets in terms of the football side as well, that could be a realistic proposition.
“If that means getting the club through stormy waters then that's what we'll have to do.
“It's not ideal for a manager obviously for the position that we're in, but the club's future is the priority rather than the present.”
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With two main consortia seemingly at the front of the queue – Dean Holdsworth’s Sports Shield Investment and a Thailand-based group – there is still hope that a new buyer could be found for the football club.
Little progress has been made in the last 48 hours, although it is understood another financial backer has now aligned with Sports Shield that could strengthen their own bid.
Lennon is eager to avoid the prospect of administration, which would trigger a 12-point deduction the moment a notice is filed and effectively end any chance of survival in the Championship.
But, like so many fans, he is worried by the lack of developments this week and is eager to see some movement in talks.
“The process is still ongoing. It’s basically as you were,” he told The Bolton News. “I spoke to Trevor on Tuesday and again yesterday (Wednesday), so there are still interested parties and they seem to be doing some sparring at the moment. Whether they can put the money up is another thing.
“Administration would mean you are docked 12 points and basically looking at being a League One club next season. But with the amount of games still to play that’s one scenario you want to avoid.
“It would mean major changes with personnel going forward on the football side of things. We want to avoid that as much as possible.”
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Lennon is optimistic that the involvement of the board’s financial advisor, insolvency specialist Trevor Birch, could be key in preventing administration.
“I think Trevor has a few plans in place to avoid that scenario,” he said.
“He's confident he can avoid that because that would mean we'd be a League One team and we'd just be fulfilling fixtures for the rest of the season.
“What we need is someone to come up with the money and help the club out and just get us through a difficult period until January.
“However, what we may have to do in January is sell some assets in terms of the football side as well, that could be a realistic proposition.
“If that means getting the club through stormy waters then that's what we'll have to do.
“It's not ideal for a manager obviously for the position that we're in, but the club's future is the priority rather than the present.”
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