Owen Coyle Confirms Bolton Wanderers' Interest In Aston Villa Man Stephen Warnock

Bolton are looking to bolster the defense (as they so badly have needed to for some time now) finally. The rumor emerged early this morning and was later confirmed by Wanderers manager Owen Coyle: the club is looking at 30-year-old Aston Villa left-back Stephen Warnock. The Villa man had spent two seasons at Blackburn Rovers and has made it clear in the recent pass that he is keen on returning to the Northwest.

Aston Villa signed Warnock from Blackburn in August of 2009 and has made 84 appearances for the club in that time. Under Alex McLeish, Warnock was a stalwart in the side and made a total of 35 (of a possible 38) appearances in the Premier League. The defender can also be seen as a bit of a utility man with his ability to play in a defensive midfield role. The latter is becoming increasingly crucial to Bolton as Jay Spearing has picked up a calf strain while Keith Andrews is still dealing with an achilles issue that has plagued him for weeks.

Speaking to the Bolton News, Owen Coyle said of Warnock:

"Stephen is a player who you know we've looked at before. He's a real good player, a good type, and I'm not sure whether that's been regurgitated or not.

"He is definitely a good player but that's where we are with that at the moment."

There's no question that Warnock would be a great signing for Bolton at the Championship level and the club still have four loan spots to use, currently only having Benik Afobe and Jay Spearing on the loan books. Whether the deal actually goes through is another story but we will be sure to keep you informed.