Sam forced to step up search for striker

By Matt Lawton
August 9 2002

A hamstring injury to Bolton Wanderers and England striker Michael Ricketts has forced Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce to scour the UK and beyond in search of back up in the striking department...

Ricketts may be forced to travel to Belgium to try and discover the cause of a hamstring which may require key-hole surgery and consequently mean star striker Ricketts missing the opening three to four weeks of the season.
This has been brought to the attention of Wanderers manager Allardyce who has now stepped up his efforts to sign a new striker along with his continued quest to get the signing of Real Madrid defender Ivan Campo and also that of Fiorentina defender Allesandro Pierini.
The two front runners to sign on the dotted line at the Reebok and be thrown in to first team action are Chris Armstrong, who hasn't had his contract renewed at Tottenham Hotspur, and German striker Fredi Bobic, who enjoyed a three month loan spell at the Reebok last season.
This seems to make it clear that Allardyce feels that his young signing from Huddersfield, Delroy Facey, isn't ready for action. Allardyce saw one transfer target slip away last month when Germany striker Carsten Jancker chose to stay in the Bundesliga.