Eidur Gudjohnsen could make his second debut in a Bolton Wanderers shirt on Saturday. Will this be a fairytale return?
Eidur Gudjohnsen- what a legend. He, along with the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen and Ricardo Gardner, joined us a boy, trying to find his way in a foreign land. After excelling in England for Bolton, he went on (unlike Jussi and Bibi) to enjoy a world class career at the world`s greatest clubs.
He played under the watchful eye of, in my opinion, the world`s best two managers- Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. At Chelsea, Barcelona, Monaco and Tottenham he enhanced his incredible skillset.
The now 36 year old is expected to be on the bench against Ipswich. I can think of nothing more romantic than Eidur coming on to score a late winner against the Tractor Boys. However, one has to question whether he`s still good enough.
We all know that he was a terrific player in his prime, though that was some 5+ years ago. We know that he`s not as fit as he was and we know that he`s not as quick as he was, so what does he still have left?
One of my favourite sayings is ‘You don`t lose quality`. I also liked Adam`s imagery in a previous article, comparing Gudjohnsen to vintage wine. I think that he still has something to bring to this team. I`ve been, as usual, watching those videos of the squads training and he looks just about good enough to make the impact many hope.
This is him training with the first team over a month ago- he looks a little out of touch, but has shows genuine signs of quality. One month of sharpening up later, he’ll be much better- I can guarantee that.
Of course, training is nothing compared to playing in a competitive game, though by the sounds of things he seemed to impress in the friendlies he featured in- he managed 90 minutes which is extremely encouraging fitness-wise.
With all this said though, will this be a dream return for Gudjohnsen. I know, since we have the best fans in the world, that he`ll be subject to an awesome reception from Bolton Wanderers fans- that is without any shadow of doubt.
With regards to his game, I just don`t know though- he may well not even feature at all! Even if he doesn`t make the immediate impact that we`re all hoping for, let`s keep positive and give the man some time to gel into the squad. Obviously not too much time though, as he isn`t exactly a signing for the future!
The thing he said that has got me most excited is ‘Sure there’s still some magic left’- Eidur, if there is then you’ll be making Bolton fans the happiest in the country.
How do you guys think Eidur`ll fare? Leave your thoughts below.