Burnley announced Tuesday that manager Owen Coyle had decided to
leave the club to take over Bolton.
Bolton fired Gary Megson last Wednesday and Coyle, who guided
Burnley to promotion to this Premier League season, preferred to
move to its near neighbor where he had a two-year spell as a
player.
"Owen Coyle has today reaffirmed his desire to leave Burnley
Football Club and join Bolton Wanderers Football Club," Burnley
said in a statement.
"Burnley will now enter discussions with Bolton due to the
fact that compensation between the two parties has yet to be
agreed."
With compensation still an issue, there was no immediate word
from Bolton to confirm the move.
The 43-year-old Scot, who played for Bolton between 1993-95
and was popular with the fans, has been Burnley manager since
November 2007 and led the team back into the top flight for the
first time since 1976.
Now he is set to take over a club that has won the FA Cup
four times but hasn't captured a major trophy since 1958. Bolton
has been in the top flight since 2001 and finished in the top eight
four seasons in a row between 2004-07 under Sam Allardyce.
But the team is currently in the relegation zone in 18th
place, and Megson was fired after the team surrendered a 2-0 lead
at home to draw 2-2 with next-to-last Hull. Burnley is four places
higher.
