Wanderers’ chairman’s relief as ownership resolution
The chairman of Bolton Wanderers has spoken of his relief at the resolution of the long-running takeover saga at the Championship football club.
Ken Anderson has also vowed to make the Wanderers “sustainable” after increasing his shareholding from 57.5% to 95% in complex negotiations.
He has renegotiated the terms of a loan with BluMarble finance which submitted a winding-up petition against ex-joint owner and former striker Dean Holdsworth company Sports Shield which resulted in its liquidation.
It has been reported the Football League were poised to act on the court decision and issue a 12-point deduction if the issue was not quickly resolved by liquidators Quantuma.
Anderson’s company Circle Investments has taken control of the freed up shares.
In a statement on the club’s website Anderson said: “The situation regarding Sports Shield BWFC and BluMarble had dragged on for far longer than anybody could have envisaged,” he said.
“The whole issue proved to be distracting and confusing for many of our supporters so I am very pleased that I’ve now finally acquired Sports Shield BWFC’s shareholding from the liquidator, which takes Inner Circle Investments Limited’s stake in Burnden Leisure Limited to a 95 per cent shareholding.
“I would like to reiterate my gratitude to BluMarble for all of their cooperation in swiftly concluding the situation. Throughout the negotiations they were always keen to minimise any damage to the business and have remained very supportive of the football club at all times.
“These distractions and the ensuing uncertainty over the past few months have been far from ideal but I am pleased to say that our focus can now be firmly fixed on football matters and getting behind Phil Parkinson, his staff and the players.
“From day one, the best interests of Bolton Wanderers Football Club have always been at the forefront of my mind.
“Nobody needs me to tell me how great this football club is. With such a long, rich and proud history it is important that we strive to reach our former glories.”
Anderson’s objective now is to get the transfer embargo affecting the club since it was put in place in December, 2015 lifted.
He went on: “We are now in a much stronger position to do this and I will work assiduously with everybody at the football club to ensure that we have the correct tools in place to make further progress.
“Whilst we have made great strides over the past 18 months in moving the club to a sustainable financial model, there is still a great deal of work to be done and that we need to get even more of our fans coming through the turnstiles.”
