Posted by By Mark Heys on
Bolton Wanderers have announced that Kevin Nolan will replace Jay-Jay Okocha as the club captain on a permanent basis after impressing in the role in recent games.
Bolton Wanderers have announced that Kevin Nolan will replace Jay-Jay Okocha as the club captain on a permanent basis after impressing in the role in recent games.
The 23-year old has held the captaincy on a temporary basis for the past month whilst Okocha has been injured and the club have now decided that Nolan will take on the role with immediate effect.
A meeting was held to dicuss the matter and manager Sam Allardyce has since released this statement to the clubs official website:
"After having a very constructive meeting today, I have decided to make Kevin the new captain of the Club. He has coped admirably with the role over the past month during Jay Jay's absence. He has got the right qualities to be a great leader of the team. Kevin is very experienced for someone so young and, above all else, he has the respect of the whole squad." Allardyce said
Allardyce moved swiftly to deny that Okocha's days at the Reebok Stadium are now numbered and feels that the Nigerian international still has an important role to play at the club between now and the end of the current season when his contract is up for review.
"It is important that I stress that Jay Jay's future is not in jeopardy at this football club.
"He has been a fantastic captain during one of the Club's most successful periods. I have had a mature discussion with Jay Jay about relinquishing his role as captain, so he can concentrate on recapturing the form that made him one of the most prodigious talents in the Premiership.
"Jay Jay is committed to Bolton Wanderers for the rest of this campaign, and with an option on his contract at the end of the season; we will sit down and discuss his future at the earliest opportunity.
"I would like to thank him for being my eyes and ears on the pitch - he played a vital role in the past three seasons, as captain. He will continue to offer his massive experience and expertise to Kevin (Nolan) and the rest of the squad."