Fergal Harkin ‘hungry to succeed’ at Bolton Wanderers

Fergal Harkin has no doubt about the capability of Bolton Wanderers - and now the Ballyliffin native is the man charged with realising that potential.

Harkin took up his posting as the club’s new Sporting Director last weeklong.

The former Finn Harps captain has built quite the portfolio at administrative level, having spent 13 years at Manchester City and three with Standard Liège.

He had been linked with a similar role at Celtic, but was announce earlier this year by Bolton.

“The first thing you see is this amazing stadium and the fantastic top end stadium that we have that players want to come and play at,” Harkin said. 

“That leads to the potential that I saw in the club.

“We have a Premier League stadium and a huge fanbase. One of my jobs is around squad planning. That, for me, is really important. We need to have players to get us to and play at the level we want to get to. We know where our place is on the food chain at the moment. We need those vibrant talents who perform on the pitch and we move them on.”

Bolton were eighth in League One in the 2024/25 season, 10 points off Leyton Orient in the last play-off place.

Harkin can recall the time when Bolton played in the Premier League - they were last in the top flight in 2012 - and counted the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka as key players.

“Everyone is hungry to succeed,” Harkin says of his new role, remarking that he was “bowled over” by the energy of chairman Sharon Britton and owner Nick Luckock.

“It’s not a game for them; this is something that they live. 

“I wanted to come to a football club that had really passionate, committed owners, where we were on the same journey and who understood that there will be ups and downs but we will get through them.”

Fergal Harkin playing for Finn Harps in 1999

Harkin had a spell at Leicester City in his youth before playing with Finn Harps and Bohemians.

After a spell working in sales and marketing with Nike, Harkin worked as the Football Partnerships and Pathways Manager at Manchester City before going to become Sporting Director at Standard Liège in Belgium.

His playing career he believes will help him be “sensitive” to the needs of the players.

“It’s all about the people,” he says. “You have to have the right people with you. Some will come with you on the journey and some won’t and will be negative towards it. 

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“There will be ups and downs. If you have people who have that positivity and can deal with the hard moments, then you have a real chance. 

“You only find out what people are like when it’s tough. You find who is with you, who has the character and who has the drive and who is not selfish - and who wants it for the benefit of the club.”