Dean Holdsworth's Sports Shield consortium completed its takeover of League Championship side Bolton Wanderers "for an initial" £7.5M ($10.7M), according to Nick Lustig of SKY SPORTS. Holdsworth will become the Trotters' new CEO and "take on the running of the club" from former Owner Eddie Davies. Ken Anderson "will become" the club's new chair. Davies is also understood to have written off £170M ($243M) "owed to him by the football club." Davies: "It has been an honor to have initially been on the board of directors and then majority shareholder of the club I have supported all of my life" (SKY SPORTS, 3/10). The BBC reported Bolton, which is £172.9M ($257M) in debt, is "currently bottom" of the league. Sports Shield and Inner Circle has taken control of Davies' 94.5% controlling share "following ratification by the Football League." Anderson will "also become a director of the club." Bolton, which is also under a transfer embargo for breaking Financial Fair Play regulations, has sold its "training ground and stadium car park to raise funds in recent months" (BBC, 3/10).
