Bolton have got the ball rolling on what’s likely to be a frenzied month of transfers by handing over a reported £12 million fee for Sweden’s Johan Elmander [source].
The big striker was paraded at the Reebok on Friday having singed from Toulouse in a deal that broke the record for a transfer fee paid by the club, a record previously set by Anelka’s £8.5 million deal from Fenerbahce. Winger and Reebok misfit, Daniel Braaten, also moves to Toulouse as part of the deal.
Elmander has been a long-term target for Bolton. It is reported that Megson earmarked the striker back in January when Anelka’s transfer to Chelsea went through. Back then however, the club were unable to strike a deal with Toulouse.
Elmander is a versitile attacking player, at home on either flank or even as an attacking midfielder but he is undoubtedly more comfortable as a centre forward which is surely the role put aside for him at the Reebok. He scored 22 goals in 62 appearances over two season for the French club having signed from Danish club Brondby in 2006. It was in the Danish leagues that Elmander first caught the eye, scoring 22 goals in 58 games, earning him the Danish player of the year award in 2005. While that kind of goal record is not to be sniffed at, Elmander is seen as much as a provider a scorer of goals. Indeed, Megson was quick to point this out on sealing the deal.
“Johan is a player I have admired for a long time. He’s a player who will get us goals and also create other opportunities for his team-mates,” remarked a chuffed Bolton boss.
So what can we expect from Bolton’s new man? In a nutshell – a bit of everything. At 6ft 2inches, his size will continue to offer Megson the kind of options he enjoys from Kevin Davies. The Swede is physically strong and real handful in the air. Unlike Davies however, he is also mobile with decent pace that will test more than a few Premiership defences. He also has similarities to Anelka in that he is a big character who will look to take charge at set-pieces around the box although he is also a player who will go looking for the ball and make things happen.
As I’ve mentioned, Elmander’s goalscoring record is impressive but, rather like Berbatov, he is striker who equally enjoys creating chances for others. At previous clubs, particularly Brondby, he has been seen as playmaker. Megson’s quote seems to acknowledge this and given the fact that Bolton are also after both Baros from Lyon and Saha from United, Megson seems to be looking to revert to his favoured 4-4-2 formation next season, having fallen back on Allardyce’s old 4-3-3 on occasions last season.
A more attacking approach from Megson could well hand Elmander a platform for a very decent season. Bolton fans will be hoping for at least 15 goals and if Megson gets him a goalscoring partner, we could also see him chipping in with 10+ assists. That’s an optimistic view of course, based on a season where Bolton are pushing towards the top half of the table rather than the relegation places. Megson’s side do have a decent set of games to kick things off though and Elmander could well mark his mark early on with Stoke, Newcastle, West Brom and Fulham providing the first few defences he’ll come up against. For now though, I’ll leave you with a pretty decent montage of action from Elmander from his Toulouse days as a preview of what’s to come.