Bolton Wanderers boss Owen Coyle says he sold Chris Basham to Blackpool for the sake of his career.
Coyle insists he was reluctant to let Basham depart but, with no real prospect of breaking into the first team this season, felt it was wrong to stand in his way.
"I think the world of Bash and, ultimately, didn't want him to leave but I had to be fair to him," Coyle told the Bolton News.
"It would've been wrong for me to say to Bash 'You're not in my team but you're not going anywhere else'.
"I could easily have just sat him there but that would've been wrong for his development.
"He's now got the chance to play in the Premier League and he goes with my blessing."
