DAVID Wheater says he would want to stay at Wanderers if the club rediscovers some stability under new ownership.

The Bolton skipper is a free agent this summer and has already had interest from clubs in the Championship and League One.

Financial problems experienced on Ken Anderson’s watch have prompted the defender to consider moving on after eight-and-a-half years.

But speaking to The Bolton News, Wheater says he is open to staying with the Whites if the new ownership want him – and if they can guarantee no issues with pay.

“I’m still fairly relaxed,” he said. “I think my wife’s more worried than I am – she keeps telling me to phone my agent.

“Last time I was out of contract at Bolton it was three weeks into pre-season by the time it got sorted, so I have been here before. It’s not a great feeling.

“If things get sorted at Bolton then I think every single one of the lads would want to stay, and I’m no different. If it went on the way it has been in the last few weeks, it would be a different story.

“If the club gets bought and we can get back to just playing football then everyone knows what I think about the club, it’s a great place to play.”

Wheater has seen the likes of Sammy Ameobi, Pawel Olkowski, Mark Beevers and Josh Vela leave Wanderers this summer, leaving a skeletal squad behind.

“When we went into League One last time there were still a lot of lads who had played in the Championship and we felt it was a strong squad,” he said.

“This time it’s different because so many lads have left. So if I’m included in that, it really has to be a big pre-season.

“The club can’t afford to start the season slowly because they know they’ll be starting on minus 12 points at least, so they have to get a move on.”

Meanwhile, the official announcement about Wanderers’ preferred bidder has been delayed until after the weekend. Administrators have assured there is no serious issue behind the delay.