In July 2011, Eagles and his Burnley teammate Tyrone Mears joined Bolton Wanderers on a three-year contract for a joint fee in the region of £3 million, linking up with their ex-manager Owen Coyle for the second time in their careers. He made his debut in a 4–0 away win at Queens Park Rangers on 13 August, where he created an assist for the second goal put in his own net by Danny Gabbidon. On 20 September, he scored his first goal for the "Trotters", from 25 yards, in the League Cup Third Round 2–0 away win against Aston Villa. He also scored a brace in a 5–0 win over Stoke City at the Reebok Stadium on 6 November. He found himself out of the starting line-up for a short time due to Tuncay being in form, but he came back to the starting line-up on 21 April, where he scored in a 1–1 draw at home to Swansea City. At the end of the season, Bolton were relegated into the Championship.