ERHUN Oztumer has opened up on his bitter legal battle to leave Wanderers in the summer of 2019, adding: “I felt like a criminal”.

The midfielder fought to cancel the last 12 months of his contract after financial problems at the club had left him without pay for five months.

A request to leave was initially refused by Bolton’s administrators and the 29-year-old has to get legal help to force a move away.

Oztumer had struggled in his first season at Bolton, starting just 10 games under Phil Parkinson in the Championship before the players’ pay dispute with former owner, Ken Anderson, kicked in at the start of 2019.

When Wanderers were put into administration the following May players were again told that they were not going to be paid – but that they would be eligible for top-up loans from the PFA.

Some players, including Luca Connell and Josh Magennis, sought to cancel their contract. Speaking to The Offside Rule podcast, Oztumer said it was a stressful time.

"It got rejected by the club and it went to a court case," he added.

"That was done with the PFA and the EFL and I had to get a lawyer. I've never been to court before and I felt like a criminal. It was scary.

"Mentally, I needed to get out. Normally, I don't like to bring work home but I was. The decision went in my favour and I could leave and enjoy football again.

"I got a lot of abuse for leaving. I stayed away from social media when that happened. I don't feel like I'm a bad person for doing what I did but the fans made me feel like I betrayed them.

"At the end of the day, I needed to think about myself."

Oztumer was signed on a free transfer after a successful spell at Walsall in League One but failed to gel in Parkinson’s side, struggling at the foot of the Championship.

Financial problems heaped on the misery and left the midfielder struggling on and off the pitch.

"Bolton are a massive club with a lot of history and a huge fan base. It's appealing to a lot of players. I just couldn't turn it down,” he said of his move in 2018.

"But it was my worst season in football. Five months without getting paid - no matter how much you're on - affects you mentally.

"My performances went down and morale went down. I was going home upset. I have a supportive family so if I needed money, they helped me out.

"We went on strike for five days to raise awareness. The cleaners and security guards weren't on as much money as we were. There were food banks for staff and players.

"We got a lot of stick from fans saying they'd play for free but that's a lie. If it was another job and your wages were late, you wouldn't go in. We were travelling across the country and paying out of our own pockets. Some fans understood but the majority didn't."

The Bolton News: