Sam Carries On Striker Search

By Mark Heys
June 2 2006

The search for a top class forward will continue despite the fact that Bolton Wanderers missed out in the race to sign Andy Johnson earlier this week.

Johnson was all set to become the Wanderers record purchase after they agreed a fee of £8.5 million with Crystal Palace but Premiership rivals Everton stole in at the last minute to secure the services of the England international forward.

This setback will not deter Bolton manager Sam Allardyce however, as he is as keen as ever to find a prolific goalscorer to make his side a permanent fixture in the top six of England's elite.

Speaking to the offical website Allardyce stated that the club will be working hard over the coming weeks to find an alternative to Johnson, a player who Sam feels would have bedded into the Trotters set up perfectly.

"The priority has to be a proven striker. We have earmarked a number of players and we were unfortunate to miss out on Andy Johnson, who joined Everton this week. The challenge is to find another Andy Johnson that fits within our budget.

Allardyce also revealed that negotations where well underway with Johnson and his representatives as soon as last season had ended but it was evident that the lure of a move to Goodison Park proved to be too strong for the ex-Birmingham City star.

"Having started negotiations over four week ago, I was disappointed to miss out. Initially we were the frontrunner for Andy's signature and then Everton came in at the death to sign him.

"Andy was always determined to sign for Everton and it is a great shame we missed out. He would have cured sixty percent of our problems, which is converting the chances we create. He could have easily made us into a top six team with his goals."

Meanwhile Wanderers striker Jared Borgetti was on target for Mexico as they lost 2-1 to Holland yesterday evening.