Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba said he was "devastated" to see Owen Coyle lose his job and believes whoever replaces him has to get the club promoted back to the Premier League.
The Trotters have struggled since relegation to the second tier and lie 18th after collecting a mere 11 points from 10 matches.
"Owen was very supportive to me and I am grateful for that," Muamba said. "If you look at the start of the season, the guys have not been playing particularly well and the results have not been up to the standards we thought with the players we've got in the team."
Muamba was forced to retire from football after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for Bolton in March, with Coyle praised for his support in the aftermath.
Doctors revealed that the 24-year-old's heart had stopped beating for 78 minutes, but he was eventually stabilised and went on to make a recovery which some described as "miraculous".
"I was obviously devastated to see he was going but I am sure the club and the chairman will bring someone in to get promoted because we need to get promoted," he said.
"In football you make changes and sometimes that's good, sometimes it's bad. We just have to wait and see how the club react."
Muamba was speaking at the Leaders in Football conference at Stamford Bridge, where he was presented with a Brazil shirt by Ronaldo. He was coy when asked about his own future in the game and is just enjoying some time off.
"I have just been enjoying life, spending time with my family," Muamba said. "I am writing a book at the moment, which will hopefully be out in November."
Asked about moving into management, he said: "Regarding coaching, I'm too impatient. I would like to be involved in football in some shape or form."
Source: PA
