Bolton Wanderers saw Arsenal, Chelsea impact with major Sam Allardyce coup | OneFootball

Nicolas Anelka was superb for Bolton.

Nicolas Anelka was one of the most enigmatic figures in world football, a player whose talent was unquestionable but whose career was marked by controversy and constant movement. Yet, for a brief spell, he found something close to a home at Bolton Wanderers.

The striker began his career at PSG but caused a stir when he moved to Arsenal at just 17. The London club had hoped to sign him on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling, but this infuriated the French giants, who believed they were entitled to a fee due to regulations surrounding players under the age of 24.

Eventually, the Gunners coughed up £500,000, but this proved next to nothing for a player who set the Premier League alight.

His first season saw him gradually eased into the side, but he still managed to find the net in Arsenal’s FA Cup final triumph over Newcastle United.

The following campaign, he truly announced himself, scoring 17 goals in 35 Premier League appearances and this caught the eye of Real Madrid, who purchased him for £22.3 million in the summer of 1999.

Unfortunately, his subsequent stints at Los Blancos, PSG, and Liverpool failed to live up to expectations, but he rediscovered his form at Manchester City before impressing once again during his time at Fenerbahçe.

It was during his time at the Turkish club that whispers of a surprise move to Bolton began to surface, and in the summer of 2006, Sam Allardyce pulled off a masterstroke - securing Anelka’s signature for £8 million and bringing one of football’s great nomads to the unlikeliest of homes.

Nicolas Anelka became a Bolton Wanderers cult hero

For Wanderers, securing a player of Anelka’s calibre was a rare coup, and looking back from League One, it seems almost surreal to think they once had him leading the line. Yet, in 2006, Bolton were a club on the rise, pushing for European football and fresh off an impressive eighth-place finish the season before.

It was hoped that the French striker would be the missing piece of the puzzle, and Allardyce was vindicated as Anelka proved instrumental in helping Bolton climb even higher, securing an impressive seventh-place finish.

Initially, Bolton's number 39 struggled as he didn't net in his opening 11 Premier League matches. However, welcoming his former club Arsenal to the Reebok Stadium changed all that as he netted twice in a 3-1 win.

A further nine goals followed, and despite a stuttering end to the season and Allardyce’s shock departure, Anelka’s class shone through. He finished the campaign with 11 goals and five assists, his contributions helping Bolton edge their way into Europe.

The following season, Wanderers found the rigours of European football weighing heavily on their league form, and they soon slipped down the table. Yet, through it all, the Frenchman remained a shining light, continuing to score freely with ten goals in 18 appearances, even as the team struggled to find their rhythm.

Bolton Wanderers saw Arsenal and future Chelsea impact from Nicolas Anelka

Embroiled in a relegation battle, it was always going to be difficult for Bolton to appease Anelka for much longer and in the January window he left the club for Chelsea.

Sold for £15 million, his sale remains the Wanderers' largest to this day and it is fair to say that the groundwork he laid at the Reebok Stadium was transferred to Stamford Bridge.

In the 2008-09 season, he netted 19 goals in 37 games and the following year his partnership with Didier Drogba was pivotal to Chelsea's double-winning side. He ended his Blues career with a record of 59 goals and 26 assists in 184 games.

For Bolton supporters, his 18-month stint was one that will live long in the memory. It’s safe to say they witnessed both the Arsenal and Chelsea versions of the striker, and in a career marked by twists and turns, this chapter remains one of the most memorable in Anelka's history.