League Championship side Bolton Wanderers Manager Neil Lennon is "worried that some players could choose to leave if they are not paid this month," according to the BBC. The club is £172.9M ($262M) "in debt and facing a winding-up petition" from U.K. tax authority HMRC over £600,000 ($909,400) of unpaid taxes. Players "were not paid in November and can choose to terminate their contracts with two weeks' notice if the same happens this month." Lennon said, "That is their right and at this time of year it's a huge concern if they're not getting paid." Financial adviser Trevor Birch is understood to have spoken to four parties interested in taking over the club but Lennon said that there has been "no real change" in talks over the weekend. Lennon: "I know Trevor's is working frantically in the background meeting with prospective investors but no one's coming up with the money yet" (BBC, 12/14). The PA reported Lennon was in charge of Scottish Premiership club Celtic when "turmoil hit Rangers and obliterated" its squad, and he "worries that a similar situation" could materialize now. Lennon said, "That scenario is a realistic possibility and that would be another devastating blow. They are well within their rights, obviously. No one has come forward to suggest that just yet but time is of the essence" (PA, 12/14).
