Gomis was first choice for Whites

11:38pm Monday 30th June 2008

FRANCE international Bafétimbi Gomis was Wanderers' number one target following the sale of Nicolas Anelka in January.

The Senegal-born striker was subject to a £10million bid in January as the club tried desperately to replace their Chelsea-bound top goalscorer.

But chairman Phil Gartside insists he has no regrets about letting Anelka leave for Stamford Bridge with the club still struggling near the foot of the table.

"We needed a squad rather than one singular superstar and that was a football decision," he said. "I think on the financial front, we recognised that having scored 10 goals in the first part of the season that he had a value and we weren't confident that that value would be the same at the end of the season.

"I think what's been shown is that we got our £15m, he went to a Champions League club and didn't score any more Premier League goals in the season which is a bit of an indictment to the sort of team he went too."

Following the sale of Anelka, fans became frustrated as the club toiled in vain to find a replacement.

Along with an unsuccessful bid for St Etienne striker Gomis, Gary Megson also enquired about Johan Elmander, but was told by Toulouse that the club would have to stump up £21m for his services of they wanted him before the summer.

The only incoming striker during January was Poland international Grzergoz Rasiak, a loan signing from Southampton that failed to capture the fans' imaginiation.

"We couldn't find the right player," Gartside admitted. "Grzergoz Rasiak was never a direct replacement for Nicolas Anelka, he was somebody that we could throw on in the odd occasion when we needed "He filled in a role but it was never intended as a replacement."