Bolton complete Ivorian swoop

By Andrew Scurr  

Bolton complete Ivorian swoop

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Bolton Wanderers have completed the signing of highly-rated Ivory Coast defender Abdoulaye Meite for an undisclosed fee.

The Marseille star put pen-to-paper on a four-year deal with The Trotters on Friday and will move to The Reebok Stadium should he pass his medical and receive international clearance.

The 25-year-old has spent the last five seasons in France and has gained plenty of experience both domestically and in Europe, as well as winning 20 caps for his country.

Meite has been a target for Bolton boss Sam Allardyce for a number of years and he beat off competition from Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart for the player's signature.

"Abdoulaye is a player we have been tracking for some time," Allardyce told the club's official website.

"He has all the qualities you'd expect from an international footballer who also played for one of France's top teams.

"He's young and should adapt to the intensities of the Premier League rather quickly."

Meanwhile, Allardyce will continue his search for new players ahead of the new Premiership season.

Idan Tal is currently the only other new face at the club but the 51-year-old expects that to change in the coming weeks.

"As always, we are working very hard at bringing in new faces to the squad and I'm confident that there'll be some more signings before the season gets underway," he added.