Souness not interested in Bolton job

The former Rangers and Liverpool boss was high on a list of potential candidates and was interviewed by Gartside last week following Lee's departure from the Reebok Stadium.

However, Souness has since contacted Gartside and told him he no longer wishes to be considered for the job.

"Graeme Souness was a candidate on our target list and he has now decided to remove himself from the interview process," said Gartside.

"Having interviewed him last week, I know he would have been an exceptional candidate for the role.

"However, I respect Graeme's decision to pull out of the process and I wish him well for the future."

The news is a blow to Bolton, although Souness is only one of a number of names to be linked with the job.

Gartside has been denied permission to speak with Real Sociedad's former Fulham manager Chris Coleman, while Leicester's Gary Megson, another man the Trotters chief rates highly, has been declared off limits by his chairman Milan Mandaric.

With Paul Jewell not interested either, the vacancy seems unlikely to be filled before Sunday's Premier League encounter with Aston Villa.

Certainly, stand-in Archie Knox, who took charge for Saturday's defeat at Arsenal, will remain at the helm when Bolton open their UEFA Cup campaign against Braga on Thursday.

With Bolton currently anchored in the relegation zone, Gartside admits the present impasse is hardly ideal.

However, he is refusing to be rushed after getting it so disastrously wrong with Lee, who never looked remotely capable of building on the platform laid down by long-serving Sam Allardyce following his departure for Newcastle.

"We are well aware we are in a difficult position in the league at present," said Gartside.

"But it is a complex job to find the ideal candidate to take the club forward in the long-term. It is a process we are working tirelessly to resolve.

"We have identified our key targets and we have had interest from other people in the game. We hope to be in a position to conclude the process as soon as possible, but we will take our time to make sure we make the right appointment to take us forward."

Gartside confirmed agent Mark Curtis was playing a major role in negotiations over an appointment, although he also made it clear the agent represents none of the candidates that have already been interviewed.

"The right candidate for the job is someone who has strong management skills as well as football experience," added Gartside.

"The range of skills required for the right successor to take us forward makes the appointment a difficult task.

"At no time in the process have we discussed our business in the public domain. We feel that this is a confidential matter that should be dealt with privately at all times."

Despite Bolton's perilous position and an appreciation of the financial squeeze relegation would cause, Gartside remains confident the club will eventually fight their way out of trouble.

"We believe we have a talented squad of players, who can help us achieve our immediate objective of being a successful Premier League side," he said.

"We all believe that the squad possesses the right blend of experience and skill to get us through our current situation."