By Mark Heys
October 5 2006

 

Nicolas Anelka

Born: Versailles (France), 14th March 1979

International Honours: France Full, European Champions 2000

Position: Forward

Squad Number: 39

Former Clubs: Paris Saint Germain (France), Arsenal, Real Madrid (Spain), Paris Saint Germain (France), Liverpool (loan), Manchester City, Fenerbache (Turkey)

Sam Allardyce's long and painful search for a top class goalscorer finally came to an end in August 2006 when French striker Nicolas Anelka signed a four year deal to move to the Reebok Stadium from Turkish club Fenerbache.

Bolton paid the Eastern European giants a club record fee of £8 million for the player who has had contraversial success during his previous stints in English football with Arsenal, Liverpool and more recently Manchester City.

Anelka first shot to prominence a decade ago whilst still a teenager with French club Paris Saint Germain but Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger quickly recognised that the player had an abundance of potential and paid £500,000 to bring his countryman to London.

Arsenal had many striking options as the likes of Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, John Hartson and Paul Merson where all competing for places in the attack but an injury to fans favourite Wright enabled Anelka to gain a regular place in the Gunners team.

His form in front of goal towards the back end of the 1997-98 season helped Arsenal to a League and FA Cup double. It was his second goal at Wembley which helped Arsenal lift the FA Cup that year against a Newcastle United team which featured current Wanderers veteran Gary Speed.

Season 1998-99 saw him hit 19 goals in all competitions for the Londoners after the depature of long standing players such as Wright and Merson. He was named as the PFA young player of the year at the end of that season and also made his way into the end of season Premier League XI.

The summer of 1999 sparked controversy as Anelka sensationally expressed a desire to leave Arsenal. Many feel that he acted on poor advice from his brothers who also doubled up as his football representatives.

Spanish giants Real Madrid paid a whopping £22.5 million to take him to the Bernabau and despite starring alongside future Wanderers players such as Ivan Campo and Fernando Hierro his time in La Liga was not a happy one.

He did manage to gain a Champions League and European Championship medal in 2000 but two goals from nineteen league matches for Real in one year meant that he found himself returning to first club Paris Saint Germain for the start of the 2000-01 season.

Anelka found his scoring touch again at the Parc des Princes as he scored ten goals from a possible thirty nine matches in a PSG side which also included former Wanderers players Jay-Jay Okocha and Bernard Mendy.

The second half of the 2001-02 campaign was spent on loan at Liverpool and whilst Anelka showed the form of his Arsenal days during his short spell at Anfield the then Reds boss Gerard Houllier was unwilling to meet the demands which Anelka's agents had put forward.

Instead Kevin Keegan paid a club record £13 million to take Anelka to Manchester City and it is whilst with the Citezens that the Frenchman began to settle down a little bit. In two consecutive seasons he finished as the Blues top goalscorer and even helped them into the UEFA Cup for the 2003-04 season.

After City failed to keep in the top ten Anelka once again expressed a desire to move to a bigger club and in January 2005 he left English football behind and penned a contract with Fenerbache. In his first few months there he lead them to the Turkish league title but he was unable to sustain the form which had previously made him a threat in the English game.

Bolton brought him back to these shores for another crack at Premiership football. His arrival at the Wanderers ranks alongside those from previous years such as Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo and such like.

The £8 million investment proved to be money well spent, although the French ace did take some time to adapt to his new surroundings. His first goal for the club came late on in a League Cup tie against Walsall but his first League goal for the club is one that will live long in the memory.

Against his old club Arsenal he controlled a long crossfield ball by strike partner Kevin Davies, cut infield and unleashed a thunderbolt of a shot which left the Gunners goalkeeper Jens Lehmann starstruck.

Over the 2006 Christmas period he hit five goals in as many games and finished his first season at the club as top goalscorer with twelve strikes to his name.

BOLTON RECORD: 35 appearances, 11 goals