Bolton are in need of a new manager after sacking Ian Evatt following a poor run of form in League One. The Trotters are ninth in the third tier having finished third and lost in the playoff final to Oxford last season.
Evatt had been in charge since 2020, guiding the club to promotion from League Two but failing to take them back to the Championship, a level they have not played at since relegation in 2019.
The eventual goal might be a return to the Premier League, where Bolton spent 11 straight seasons between 2001 to 2012. And they could turn to a familiar face to guide them back in the right direction.
Sam Allardyce said to be open to Bolton job
According to The Sun, Sam Allardyce “dreams of an emotional return” to the Toughsheet Stadium, where he spent eight successful years as a manager before leaving in 2007.
It was the longest tenure of Allardyce’s managerial career, spanning 371 games, far more than with any other club. And the 70-year-old would reportedly be open to another stint in Greater Manchester.
Allardyce has been out of a job in management since leaving Leeds following relegation from the Premier League in 2023 after just four games in charge. Before that, he had spells with West Brom, Everton and Crystal Palace after his ignominious and premature exit as England manager in 2016.
A romantic return to Bolton might appeal but the club are expected to look elsewhere, with former Plymouth and Stoke boss Steven Schumacher the favourite to take the job. He is 30 years younger than Allardyce and proven at League One level, having guided Plymouth to the title with 101 points in 2022/23.
The Sun claim Bolton could also pay compensation if they decide to take a manager from another club, with Rotherham’s Steve Evans and St Mirren’s Stephen Robinson potential candidates.
They did that to prise Evatt from Barrow in 2020, but things had soured between manager and fans by the end of his tenure.
“I believe the Club is still well placed to achieve its goals this season, and I want to give the board and players the best chance of doing that,” Evatt said upon leaving the club.
“I am very grateful for everybody’s support and to be the manager of this wonderful football club has been the greatest honour of my career. To our fans, thank you for the support you have shown me and my staff. Together we have created some very special memories and I will always be a fan of this amazing football club.”
