Phil Gartside has revealed that Bolton are set to seal a record deal for a striker, who is yet to be named. Gartside refused to name the player, but says the deal should be completed in the next 10 days for a club record fee. Wanderers’ current record transfer fee is £8m for Nicolas Anelka in 2006. Anelka joined Chelsea in January for £15m and Bolton have been looking to replace him since.
We intend on strengthening the team this summer with some serious purchases.
We’ve already put one to bed last week and we intend on putting the other, a striker, to bed within a week to 10 days - which would be a club record transfer fee.
He’s in Europe at the moment, I don’t know whereabouts right now, but he’s definitely somewhere in Europe.
- Phil Gartside
Gartside also revealed that Ali Al Habsi hasn’t chosen to buy out the remainder of his contract, but could still leave if another club was to pay the transfer fee.
In order to buy out the remaining year of his contract he would have had to have served the club prior notice of his intentions within 14 days of the last match of the season.
There has been no notice served in that time-frame and no indication during my trip to Muscat so far, that either Ali or his brother-come-agent Ahmed al Habsi, wants a move.
We are very lucky now to have two very good goalkeepers who both fit into a long term successive strategy set down by the goalkeeping department.
It’s a position that once sorted, won’t have to be looked at again for the next 10 years.
It’s up to Ali now to challenge for the first team, that’s not to say we want Jussi Jaaskelainen to leave. It’s just better for the club to have two competing for the role, especially with the pressures of Premier League football where you’ll have the possibility of injuries.
- Phil Gartside
