Midfielder Erhun Oztumer has left Bolton Wanderers, leaving the club with only five senior players under contract.
The Trotters are currently in administration, but the adjournment and amendment of a court order relating to Laurence Bassini’s failed takeover bid earlier this year seem to have finally facilitated the completion of a sale to the Football Ventures consortium.
Wanderers fielded their youngest ever team, with an average age of just nineteen, for Saturday’s League One draw against Coventry after some senior players allegedly refused to play amid financial and contractual disputes with the club.
Oztumer signed for Bolton from Walsall last summer but made just nineteen appearances in a disappointing spell which saw Wanderers relegated from the Championship.
The social media reaction to Oztumer’s departure by many fans reflects the disappointment of some with how the senior players still left at the club have behaved. Others felt there could be no blame attached to a player who the club have struggled to pay.
It appears there is a division amongst Bolton fans on their view of a player who failed to establish himself at the Reebok, but manager Phil Parkinson also came in for criticism for failing to give the twenty-eight-year-old more opportunities to prove his worth.
Here is a selection of responses to the news on Twitter.
Good riddance
— Luke… (@luke_bwfc) August 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/casson1983/status/1161930965758988293?s=20
https://twitter.com/Footbal08625855/status/1161935330037129216?s=20
https://twitter.com/MatthewV_/status/1161924489061568512?s=20
Not entirely his fault but absolutely shocking signing
— James Page (@CitizenSnipsz) August 15, 2019
I know there will be a lot of "good riddance" tweets in relation to what's gone on recently, but fair play to him for sticking it out as long as he has.
— keveh (@kevehhh) August 15, 2019
Lot of negative posts the guys been treated appalling in the time he’s been here not been given a fair crack at all. Could of stuck around and tried though with the position we are in he will go to another team and do well
— Davina (@Dave384) August 15, 2019
Funny how people calling him but yet parky didn’t even give him a chance last season
— Ash Coyne (@Ashcoynebwfc) August 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/andy_wanderer/status/1161929969976664064?s=20
Make sure the door doesn’t hit you on the way out.
— Jimmy (@JimmyL_87) August 15, 2019
when he did get played he spent most of the match watching the ball sail over his head.
He probably left to alleviate stress to his neck-bone.