As I’ve mentioned on previous occasions, I will always endeavour to be open and transparent and to keep you updated on matters concerning the club.
A meeting has today taken place between the PFA and the football club and I’m pleased to say that an agreement has been reached with all parties.
We are still very active in the transfer market and are looking to bring in several new faces before the season kicks off. It would be inappropriate for me to mention any names until the deals are done but what I can tell you is that we’ve put in a six-figure bid for a striker and are talking to a number of other players. As was expected, everything is taking longer this year because of the World Cup, but we hope to be able to announce further signings shortly.
Again, once deals have been confirmed they will be announced officially on the club’s channels.
I would also like to keep you updated on matters concerning investment into the club. I want to make it clear that we have never proactively approached any party or sought to sell the club.
However, not surprisingly we are regularly being approached by third parties interested in investing or buying the club. As I have previously stated, I will of course only entertain any serious bids that will ensure the long-term future and stability of the club.
Recently, we had long and detailed discussions with a Middle East-based group who showed a keen interest in the club. However, they ultimately decided to buy a club in the Middle East.
Another locally based person, who had previously made an offer, once again showed a keen interest. However, when he supplied us his proof of funds, the documentation used was found to be fake and no further discussions will take place with this particular person or his professional advisors.
An Asian-based consortium have also failed to provide proof of funds and discussions have consequently been terminated.
Discussions are still continuing with another party and I will of course keep you updated.
Even in the last couple of days we have again been approached but I want to emphasise that we will only entertain bids that are beneficial for the long-term future of the club.
It was good to see the players in action at the weekend with a victory against Halifax Town and after a behind closed doors friendly with Morecambe this afternoon, which ended up in a draw, you will be able to see them take on La Liga side Girona at the County Ground, Leyland, this Saturday at 3pm. You will need to buy your tickets in advance for this fixture as capacity at the ground will be limited so please click here if you’d like to attend.
Season tickets are still on sale and with just a few weeks remaining before we get the Sky Bet Championship campaign underway, they remain the most cost effective way of watching Wanderers during 2018/19. Please click here for more information.
The season starts on Saturday 4 August when we travel to The Hawthorns for a game against West Bromwich Albion, and throughout the month of August we’ve got some key fixtures to kick off our campaign. We face Bristol City the following Saturday for our first home game, before taking on Leeds United in the Carabao Cup (Tuesday 14 August). A trip to Reading follows on Saturday 18 August before we end the month with two successive home games against Birmingham City (Wednesday 22 August) and Sheffield United (Saturday 25 August). Your support as ever will be crucial as we aim to get off to a positive start.
Stay tuned to the website and our social media platforms over the next couple of days, as we’ll be launching our new away kit. If you thought last’s season’s was great, I think you’ll be even more impressed with this year’s offering!
The Killers and Little Mix concerts took place last weekend and were a massive success for the venue with over 60,000 people attending both nights.
My sincere gratitude goes out to all the BWFC, Bolton Whites Hotel and Bolton Wanderers Community Trust staff who worked tirelessly throughout both concerts and we are looking forward to announcing more concerts in the future.
We are looking forward to welcoming the Rugby League Challenge Cup semi-finals to Macron Stadium on Sunday 5 August.
It is absolutely vital that we continue to stage events of this scale and at the same time increase the number of season tickets, commercial and hospitality sales, as the revenues are essential in ensuring that we continue to make further progress in operating the club and hotel in a commercial and prudent manner as we have strived to do over the last couple of years.
Finally, following on from the recent ‘An Evening With Paul Gascoigne’, Bolton Whites Hotel are delighted to announce that England’s hat-trick hero from 1966, Sir Geoff Hurst, will be holding an evening in the Lion of Vienna Suite at Macron Stadium in November. Tickets are now on sale for this very special event and you can find out more information by clicking here.
Kind regards,
Ken