Warnock Joins Wanderers

Manager Owen Coyle said: “Stephen is a player that I have always liked and one that can play in a number of positions, which is very important in the Championship.

“We tried to get him to the club before the summer transfer deadline but it never came to fruition, so I’m delighted that we have now been able to bring him in.

“He has a terrific pedigree and has moved for large sums of money in his career, so we know his quality.

“He has the right character and it’s important that we bring those attributes into the group. He ticks all the boxes and when I spoke to him you could tell how keen he was to come here.

“I have to say there was a lot of competition for his signature. We beat off a host of clubs in the Championship, so we are delighted to get him in.” 

Warnock, who originally progressed through the famed Liverpool academy, has two senior England caps to his name - earned against Trinidad & Tobago and France. 

The versatile 30-year-old was also included as part of Fabio Capello's 23-man Three Lions squad at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

After enjoying loan spells at Bradford City and Coventry City during the early stages of his career, he made his senior debut for Liverpool in August 2004 and featured prominently in the Reds Champions League winning season of 2004/05. 

After accumulating 67 appearances under the guidance of Rafa Benitez, he swapped Anfield for Ewood Park in January 2007 for a fee believed to be in the region of £2.5million. 

Warnock was a regular at Blackburn for two-and-a-half years and his consistent performances earned him the club's Player of the Year award in 2008.

In the summer of 2009, the Ormskirk-born man signed for Aston Villa for a reported fee of £8million. Over the last three seasons he has played for the Villains on 104 occasions, 38 of which came last season. 

Warnock will wear the number 15 shirt during his time with Bolton.