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Breathe a little easier. A new report out of the Bolton News says that they have confirmed that Stu Holden's one year contract extension with Bolton Wanderers is for all intents and purposes a done deal. Per the report, the BN understands that Stu "has sent written confirmation to the club that effectively ties him to a new 12-month deal at the Reebok." Holden, who is back Stateside training with his former club, Houston Dynamo, has apparently sent the necessary paperwork back to the club.
Both the midfielder and Dougie Freedman had come out publicly and said that the contract was agreed upon and it was only a matter of getting the papers signed last month. According to the report out of the Bolton News, Stu's representatives have mailed over the documents necessary for the new deal. The contract will likely not be official until the end of June, right before Stu's current deal runs out.
There were previous reports out of the same paper that suggested a two-year contract extension but it now seems to be just the one.
Holden's comeback is well on its way to being complete but is not yet done as the midfielder has not been able to figure into a starting spot under Dougie Freedman. At the tail end of the 2012/13 season, he made a few substitute appearances, including an hour-plus-long outing against Peterborough, prior to a loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.
The United States Men's National Team opens camp next week ahead of friendlies against Germany and Belgium (where Holden has a chance to see some minutes) and three CONCACAF Hexagonal World Cup qualifiers (in which Holden is unlikely to feature).
Update: Holden's girlfriend, Karalyn, has confirmed that Stu Holden has in fact signed the contract extension. She tweeted the congratulatory message below:
A big congrats to my @stuholden for signing another contract with Bolton! Onwards and upwards babe! #bwfc
— Karalyn West (@KaralynWest) May 22, 2013