Reports from several sources indicate that goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen is to sign a new four year contract at Bolton. This makes a change from the usual two year deals that he has insisted on in the past, which have effectively kept him in the shop window, much to the irritation of Wanderers fans.
‘We have agreed terms,’ said Jaaskelainen`s agent and all round lovely bloke*, Peter Harrison.
‘The deal is for four years but it is not signed yet as Jussi is away on holiday.
‘He is very happy to be staying as he loves the fans and the club.’
Occupants of the East Stand Lower, may have some doubts about that last statement. The deal makes it more likely that Ali Al-Habsi will leave the club. The Omani stopper was called into action for the last few games of the season and performed admirably. Whether he will be content to act as permanent understudy once more is extremely doubtful. Not that Gary Megson takes that on board.
‘It’s not a difficult task to keep them both,’ said the ginger genius. ‘When we lost Jussi it was seen as a catastrophe, but Ali has done fantastically well.
‘He is a top-class goalkeeper and may force himself to be number one but, in my view, there is no such thing as a number one or a number two anymore.’
Having an accomplished player sat on the bench most of the time is a luxury the top clubs can afford. It`s not an option that is open to Bolton. Jaaskelainen, is at the moment, the better ‘keeper, but it is likely that Al-Habsi will be surpass him in the not too distant future. If he does that whilst playing for another club, then the Bolton manager will have questions to answer.
*There might be a smidgeon of sarcasm there.
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