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Former England manager Sam Allardyce has revealed a hack he used to lure Nigerian legend Austin Jay Jay Okocha to Bolton.
For eight glorious years, enigmatic former England manager Sam Allardyce reigned supreme at the Reebok Stadium, where he signed a galaxy of star players - including the legendary Nigerian footballer Austin 'Jay-Jay' Okocha.
Allardyce has now sensationally revealed his clever tactic to convince Okocha to join his then-newly promoted Bolton side in 2002, when they shockingly snapped up the African superstar from French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
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16:49 - 10.07.2024
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Allardyce on Jay Jay Okocha
Speaking to talkSPORT Breakfast, Allardyce admitted he had to 'blag' his way through showing Okocha and other top stars their training facilities, as they were far from glamorous at the time.
'The training ground was portacabins and stuff like that and just two pitches,' Allardyce recalled. 'At least we had a great stadium, didn't we? So we took them to the Reebok and to the hotel and that was okay.'
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However, the wily manager knew he had to come up with a cunning plan to hide the less-than-impressive facilities from his targets.
'After they signed, we took them to the training ground,' he explained. 'If we'd showed Jay-Jay Okocha [and Youri Djorkaeff] that they wouldn't have bothered signing on.
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'We managed to improve year on year to make it that much better, but it was a sticking point. They used to say "Well can I see the training ground?" and we'd say "Well there's a lot of work going on at the moment, you won't see anything.”
'We sort of blagged our way through it at that time.'
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Okocha, who Allardyce described as his best-ever signing, was 28 years old when he joined Bolton in 2002 - and he went on to become one of the club's greatest players, winning a legion of fans with his sublime skills and flair.
The former Super Eagles star was part of a string of high-profile arrivals at the club under Allardyce, including El-Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka, as the manager transformed Bolton into an established Premier League side.
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But with the club sitting fifth in the table and having secured UEFA Cup football for the second time, Allardyce resigned in April 2007 before taking charge of Newcastle which eventually led to the club’s downfall.
Jay-Jay Okocha celebrates PSG in the Maldives
Meanwhile, the legendary Super Eagles of Nigeria player Okocha was welcomed to the opulent island paradise of the Maldives by Paris Saint-Germain, one of the most successful football clubs and sports franchises in the world.
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Okocha, known for his talent and skill as an attacking midfielder, luxuriated in the Maldives' lavish amenities.
He is recognised by many as one of the best African football players and as a player who has influenced Paris Saint-Germain's history.
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