12:41pm Monday 20th August 2007
By Gordon Sharrock
SAMMY Lee is drawing up plans to cover for the departure of Nicolas Anelka.
It looks increasingly likely that the much-travelled Frenchman - Wanderers record signing and top scorer - will be on his travels again before the transfer window closes in 11 days. Manchester United have now emerged as favourites to lure Anelka away from the Reebok and, if the pundits are proved right, £12million is an offer the Whites owner Eddie Davies and chairman Phil Gartside will find impossible to refuse.
Lee admitted the situation could be beyond his control when he said: "You don't want to lose quality players but other things dictate.
"It would be remiss of me to get involved in the speculation, but all I would say is that everybody's aware of his qualities and we are just making sure we have the right preparation, to cover for every eventuality."
At such a late stage, however, Wanderers will have to act swiftly to sign an adequate replacement for Anelka, who topped the Reebok goal charts last season and has already shown his world class by scoring two of their three goals this season - the latest coming in Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth.
That third successive loss left Wanderers pointless and piled even more pressure on Lee, who is already having sleepless nights as he sets about implementing the changes he felt were necessary when he took charge after Sam Allardyce walked away at the end of last season.
But Wanderers' fans, who might be willing to give the new manager the time he has requested to get things right, will be furious if they see the club selling its star players without recruiting big name replacements. And, in that respect, Wanderers' transfer transactions up to now this summer have not suggested a willingness to pay big fees.
However, if Anelka is sold, Lee should at least have sufficient funds to trawl the top end of the market. But time is not on his side.
There has been no confirmation of United's interest, but Sir Alex Ferguson, who was linked with Anelka earlier this summer, is reported to be ready to pay £12m to strengthen his strike squad in the wake of Wayne Rooney's latest injury setback.
Portsmouth and West Ham have also made overtures and there have been reports that Arsenal, where Anelka built his world class reputation, and Spanish giants Sevilla are also reported to be keen. But, if he does mean business, the United chief has the power to blow the competition out of the water.
Anelka was grateful to Wanderers for bringing him back to the Premiership when they paid a club record £8million to sign him from Fenerbahce a year ago, but he has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football again and showcase his talents on the big stage.
Nicky Hunt meanwhile, is hoping nothing comes of the latest speculation. "Obviously we want him to stay because he's a goalscorer and he'll score goals for us. But we'll just have to see what happens," the Whites' full-back said.
Hunt is confident, however, that the experienced French international will not be unsettled by the transfer talk.
"He's mentally tough enough to realise that the team he is playing for now is Bolton Wanderers," he added.
"Whoever he is linked with and wherever he may go in the future, this club is paying his wages and he's got to perform at the highest level, no matter what happens on the outside. "He's a tough enough player to do that."
Abdoulaye Faye is expected to complete a £2m move to Newcastle this week after making it clear to Wanderers that he wants to join former boss, Sam Allardyce, on Tyneside.
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