KEN Anderson is in the middle of a chemistry test as he plots Wanderers’ next move on the manager front.

Alongside Dean Holdsworth, the co-owner has whittled down the shortlist to half a dozen names which are now in contention for the vacant Macron Stadium post, interviewing three men on Monday, with one more to come.

A final decision could be made as early as next week – but Anderson admits he and Holdsworth are still weighing up pros and cons of all the personalities involved, which could add some extra time to the process.

“I interviewed three different people with very different chemistry and I have to say it is a very difficult choice, which seems to be getting harder by the moment,” he told The Bolton News.

“Even after the interviews, when we thought we knew exactly what we had to choose between, we ended up with more questions than answers. It was a very, very impressive bunch.

“It is now about looking at the chemistry and picking which man will be the best fit for Bolton Wanderers.”

Chris Powell, Nigel Adkins and Steve Cotterill sat down for talks on Monday and are now very much in the driving seat, according to Anderson.

It is hoped another manager, who is already in a job, will sit down for talks in the next few days.

But The Bolton News understands Wanderers are still not a closed shop and that two other candidates have now made contact to say they wish to be considered.

One of those men is thought to be Leeds United boss Steve Evans.

The Scot is under contract until June 30 at Elland Road but Massimo Cellino’s very public search for a successor has left him looking around for options.

His advisors are believed to have contacted Wanderers to sound out the possibility of an interview.

That leaves Anderson and Holdsworth with a big decision to make with each boasting experience of leading a side out of League One into the Championship.

Now, says the co-owner, it becomes a case of deciding which personality could best fit a group of players who have struggled for the past couple of seasons.

“We have a choice to make but I don’t think, overall, there is a lot between them in terms of what they have achieved in management,” he said.

“We have to look beyond that now and see what they are like as people.

“Look at Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, both obviously very capable managers but completely different people who go about things a completely different way.

“The three men interviewed at the start of the week are all successful in their own right but it boils down to which one is right for Bolton?”