EFL Championship side Bolton Wanderers will survive another fortnight, at least, after the club was given an extension to find a buyer and attempt to nullify their massive debts.
A winding-up petition was given to the club, which would have threatened their existence, while a points deduction has also been avoided. Should the club survive, a points deduction may come into effect next season, as March 28 is the current deadline.
Bolton have been threatened with a winding-up petition on multiple occasions recently, however they have survived each one.
It is a massive fall from grace for a club that was in the Premier League at the beginning of the decade.
The last time that they were in the Premier League was the 2011/12 season, and since then they have shared their time between the Championship and League One.
Their squad in that 2011/12 season featured players such as Gary Cahill, Martin Petrov, Ivan Klasnic and Jussi Jaaskelainen. Despite their relegation, some highlights for them that season included a 3-1 home victory over Liverpool, and a 0-0 draw against Arsenal the following week. Owen Coyle’s men also managed three consecutive wins in March that campaign.
Only a couple of years prior to their last season in the Premier League, they represented themselves well in Europe by reaching the round of 16 of the UEFA Cup. Despite only managing one win and amassing three draws, they finished third in a group that featured Bayern Munich, Braga, Aris and Crvena Zvezda.
They then defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0 on aggregate in the round of 32, however were eliminated by Sporting CP in the round of 16. The squad featured players such as El Hadji Diouf, Kevin Nolan, Gary Speed, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Nicolas Anelka and even Australian Scott Jamieson. It certainly is a big contrast to their current situation.
The next few weeks will be very important for Bolton and their fans, as their outlook becomes clearer. Despite the Trotters being in the relegation zone in the Championship, a new owner would be a massive boost for their survival as a football club.
