Nigerian football legend, Austin Jay Jay Okocha has stated that he did not conduct any study prior to joining Bolton Wanderers in 2002 from Paris Saint-Germain.
Even though PSG was not a major team at the time, Okocha’s departure for Bolton Wanderers, who were fighting relegation in the Premier League at the time, was surprising.
However, Okocha has admitted that he was unaware of Bolton’s Premier League reputation before signing with the club, and that it took him a long time to adjust.
Okocha had a chat with Ally McCoist and Gabriel Agbonlahor on their Talksport breakfast show.“
He said: Well, I will say that it’s obvious I didn’t do my research before signing for Bolton, “But as a football person, you know football comes first, not the city, not the lifestyle that comes with the City.”
“But one thing was clear, the training ground was different. The attitudes towards the games were different. And I also think the mentality, you know the football style was difficult.”
Okocha added, “It took me a while to really understand what Sam’s philosophy was.”
Regardless of his early problems at Bolton, Okocha went on to become a legend at the club.
In his first season, the former attacking midfielder helped Bolton escape relegation.
In his second season, he was named captain, and then as captain, he led Bolton to a league cup final in 2004, where they were defeated by Middlesbrough.
