WANDERERS have signed experienced striker Cameron Jerome on an 18-month contract.

The 36-year-old front man will need little introduction to Bolton fans, having faced the club on no fewer than 12 occasions playing for Birmingham City, Stoke City, Norwich City and Derby County.

This season he had made 24 appearances for Championship Luton Town in all competitions – all from the sub’s bench – before agreeing to terminate the remaining six months of his contract.

In all, Jerome has made 688 senior appearances, including a spell playing in Turkey, and scored 159 senior goals.

Ian Evatt had been looking for a senior head to aid a relatively inexperienced attack – and Jerome has the added bonus of not having previously played in the Papa Johns Trophy, which means he should be able to face Accrington Stanley in the semi-final next month.

Though Jerome was thought to be on Bolton's radar before the window, the urgency increased after the club lost the services of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to injury. Along with the sale of Amadou Bakayoko, this left their attack lacking in physicality.

He has only once previously played at League One level – a solitary season at MK Dons in 2021/21 – where he scored 15 times in 38 games.

Huddersfield-born Jerome made his name at Cardiff City, moving to Birmingham in a £3million deal in 2006 and going on to help the Blues win the League Cup against Arsenal five years later.

At that point Owen Coyle was keen to bring him to Bolton, with a £4m deal discussed, but with the striker struggling to overcome a heel injury he instead chose to sign Turkish striker Tuncay instead, channelling the remaining funds towards an attempt to sign Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Jerome moved to Stoke City and featured in the Europa League, leaving two years later for a loan spell with Crystal Palace and then a £1.5m move to Norwich.

He stayed with the Canaries for another four years before another £1m-plus move to Derby County in 2018, helping the Rams to the Championship play-offs.

After a spell in Turkey with Goztepe, Jerome returned to play a season at MK – his first taste of League One – and then moved on to Luton Town after their promotion to the Championship.

He arrives at Bolton eligible to play against Charlton Athletic tomorrow.