London: Burnley manager Owen Coyle has held discussions with league rivals Bolton Wanderers over their vacant managerial position, the Premier League club said.
"Burnley Football Club can confirm that manager Owen Coyle has held discussions with Bolton Wanderers over the vacant manager's position at the Reebok Stadium," a Burnley statement said. "Chairman Barry Kilby will now meet with Coyle to discuss his future at Turf Moor."
Coyle, who last season steered the Lancashire club back to the top flight of English football for the first time since 1976, has been widely tipped as the favourite to replace Gary Megson who was sacked last week.
Losing Coyle would be a serious blow to Burnley who have coped well in the Premier League and are currently 14th in the table, four places above Bolton who are in the bottom three.
The 43-year-old Scot, who took over at Burnley in 2007 and clinched promotion from the Championship via the playoffs last season, spent two years of his playing career with Bolton in the 1990s and was popular with the fans.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, January 05, 2010, 10:18