Lennon fears Bolton player exodus over unpaid wages
(Reuters) – Manager Neil Lennon fears players could walk away from Bolton Wanderers if the Championship (second tier) club fail to pay their wages for a second month in a row.
Bolton, who were unable to pay their players’ salaries in November, received a winding-up petition from Britain’s tax collection agency (HMRC) in respect of unpaid monies earlier this month.
The club, founded in 1874 and four-times FA Cup winners, owes about 600,000 pounds ($910,080) in unpaid taxes and has 173 million pounds of debt.
A failure to pay wages in December could allow players to get out of their current deals and leave the club for nothing.
“They can give the club two weeks’ notice. That is their right. Obviously at this time of year it’s a huge concern if they’re not getting paid. We need something done very, very quickly,” Lennon told British media.
“It’s a scenario I don’t want to contemplate.
“There’s nothing I can do, unless I get a player who comes to me and says he wants to use his rights to go. Then I’ll have to sit down and try and persuade him otherwise.”
The club last played in the Premier League in the 2011-12 season.
