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Wanderers have issued an ultimatum to any players contracted beyond this summer – if you don't have the stomach to fight in League One next season then leave.
Ahead of taking on table-topping Middlesbrough tomorrow, interim manager Jimmy Phillips and his squad met with new chairman Ken Anderson this week.
And the message was clear. The Whites will look to move on anyone who doesn't want to be there, all they have to do is say the word.
“A number of players are out of contract and we had a meeting the other day with the chairman,” revealed Phillips, who will remain in charge at the Macron Stadium until a permanent successor to Neil Lennon is announced.
“He was certainly throwing it out to players that if they didn't feel their future was at Bolton Wanderers as a League One club next season, even though they're contracted to it, then obviously they must come forward.
"So it's up to the individual players what they want to do and I think things will certainly start to shape up between now and the end of the season.
“It appears that with our relegation to League One the new board are putting plans in place quickly, and that needs to happen because we all want this season to end as positively as it can be but also we need to start building for next season.”
The club will embark upon life in the third tier with a drastically-reduced playing budget, thought to be around the £6m mark, which will mean those out of contract are highly unlikely to be offered new deals, and certainly not with similar salaries being shelled out.
Wanderers' co-owner Ken Anderson has this week stated his aim to have a squad of around 23 or 24, bolstered by a handful of academy graduates stepping up to the first team. A key factor in achieving this within that budget will be getting the squad's high earners off the books.
And in his short time at the helm Phillips has seen cause for optimism in a few younger players, hopeful that their development can continue in the bottom half of league football.
“I think Rob Holding's done fantastically well and Zach Clough burst onto the scene with a great run of goalscoring in his games,” said Phillips. “Unfortunately we've had to play Zach slightly out of position due to the imbalance in the squad that we have.
“Also, Josh Vela's done well when he's been around the first team and Niall Maher's played a couple of games at right-back and he's been quite steady.
“So I think with a lot of these lads we'll see how we go in League One next season but there's certainly a good deal of athleticism in a lot of these players.”
Source
Ahead of taking on table-topping Middlesbrough tomorrow, interim manager Jimmy Phillips and his squad met with new chairman Ken Anderson this week.
And the message was clear. The Whites will look to move on anyone who doesn't want to be there, all they have to do is say the word.
“A number of players are out of contract and we had a meeting the other day with the chairman,” revealed Phillips, who will remain in charge at the Macron Stadium until a permanent successor to Neil Lennon is announced.
“He was certainly throwing it out to players that if they didn't feel their future was at Bolton Wanderers as a League One club next season, even though they're contracted to it, then obviously they must come forward.
"So it's up to the individual players what they want to do and I think things will certainly start to shape up between now and the end of the season.
“It appears that with our relegation to League One the new board are putting plans in place quickly, and that needs to happen because we all want this season to end as positively as it can be but also we need to start building for next season.”
The club will embark upon life in the third tier with a drastically-reduced playing budget, thought to be around the £6m mark, which will mean those out of contract are highly unlikely to be offered new deals, and certainly not with similar salaries being shelled out.
Wanderers' co-owner Ken Anderson has this week stated his aim to have a squad of around 23 or 24, bolstered by a handful of academy graduates stepping up to the first team. A key factor in achieving this within that budget will be getting the squad's high earners off the books.
And in his short time at the helm Phillips has seen cause for optimism in a few younger players, hopeful that their development can continue in the bottom half of league football.
“I think Rob Holding's done fantastically well and Zach Clough burst onto the scene with a great run of goalscoring in his games,” said Phillips. “Unfortunately we've had to play Zach slightly out of position due to the imbalance in the squad that we have.
“Also, Josh Vela's done well when he's been around the first team and Niall Maher's played a couple of games at right-back and he's been quite steady.
“So I think with a lot of these lads we'll see how we go in League One next season but there's certainly a good deal of athleticism in a lot of these players.”
Source
