Allardyce: Stelios could go
Bolton boss Sam Allardyce has virtually resigned himself to losing star midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos.
With the Bolton squad short on numbers, Allardyce had hoped to retain the services of the Greece international, who has spent the last two seasons at the Reebok Stadium after arriving on a free transfer from Olympiakos.
But Liverpool are closing in on the 31-year-old, with Reds manager Rafael Benitez yesterday confirming his interest, and the Anfield club look set to pip Manchester City to the player’s signature.
City made a £1m (€1.5m) bid just under a fortnight ago, with Bolton chairman Phil Gartside claiming that figure fell considerably short of the club’s asking price.
However, it is understood Stelios has an escape clause in his contract, with Allardyce alluding to such a fact on Tuesday when he claimed the situation regarding the player was “complicated” and “delicate”.
Allardyce had made it clear he would not let Stelios leave unless he had first found a suitable replacement, but that now appears unlikely.
It is believed a fee between £1.5m (€2.2m) to £2m (€2.9m) will be enough to prise away Stelios, who last night started and scored in Bolton’s 2-0 home win over Newcastle.
Talks are ongoing between Gartside and Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry, leaving a downhearted Allardyce to comment: “I’m not confident we will keep him. I really think he may leave. I’m 50-50 at best.”
Allardyce has refuted Benitez’s claim he held talks with the Spaniard at Anfield on Tuesday following Liverpool’s Champions League qualifying match against CSKA Sofia.
“I never spoke to Rafael Benitez on Tuesday night, as was suggested on the internet,” added Allardyce.
“I was at the game, but he never rang me.”
Allardyce, meanwhile, is not prepared to rush Hidetoshi Nakata into his team, despite the Japan international finally receiving international clearance.
Bolton recently signed Nakata on a season-long loan deal from Fiorentina, but have been hindered by red tape.
Nakata is now available for selection for Saturday’s match against West Ham at Upton Park.
But Allardyce will slowly introduce Nakata to English football, along with another new face – Mexico striker Jared Borgetti.
Borgetti, a £1m (€1.5m) signing from Pachuca, made his debut last night against Newcastle, coming on for the final three minutes.
Asked when Nakata might play, Allardyce replied: “Don’t get greedy because we only saw the first glimpse of Borgetti. I don’t want to play him too early.
“I want them to have the right impact at the right time. I don’t want everybody moaning from the chairman, to the fans, to the tea lady, to the press and TV that they don’t look good enough for the Premiership because that’s what you get if you put them in too early.
“People make early, quick judgements in this game and they write people off before they have been given a chance.
“So when they go in, it’s when they are good and ready, and when they are physically capable of first coping with the Premiership, and then getting used to it after that.”
