When the erstwhile Super Eagles moved to Greater Manchester in North West England in 2002 from the French capital, many were taken aback.
Austin Jay-Jay Okocha has made hints that if he had known the Bolton Wanderers’ situation, he would not have signed with them.
Although PSG were not a top club they were now when Okocha left, it was still a surprise to see him leave for Bolton, who were battling relegation in the Premier League.
The former Super Eagles captain is one of the most talented players the game has ever seen, which was why it was a shock to see the Trotters pull off the transfer coup.
Okocha has now revealed he did not know Bolton’s status in the Premier League before signing, and it took him a lot of time before he settled in.
Well, I’ll say that it’s obvious I didn’t do my research before signing for Bolton,” Okocha told Ally McCoist and Gabriel Agbonlahor on their Talksport breakfast show.
“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 attitude towards the games were different.
“And I think also the mentality, you know the football style was difficult.”
“It took me a while to really understand what Sam’s philosophy was,” Okocha added.
But despite his early struggles, Okocha went on to earn a legendary status at Bolton. He helped the team avoid relegation in his first season, winning the goal of the season.
The ex-Eintracht Frankfurt star was made the captain in his second season, and as a captain, he led the Trotters to a league cup final in 2004, where they lost to Middlesbrough.
Okocha made 144 appearances for Bolton, scoring 18 goals and registering three assists before leaving for Qatar in 2006.
