Bolton Wanderers pocketed £4.5m fee and so much more from Liverpool-born ace | OneFootball

Kevin Nolan was a stalwart at Bolton Wanderers during a hugely successful period for the club

When Kevin Nolan signed for Bolton Wanderers at age 16, few would’ve predicted the lasting impact he would leave upon the club.

Colin Todd’s side had just suffered play-off heartbreak and were looking to go again in search of promotion to the Premier League. In came a young attacking midfielder, who slowly began to feature for Wanderers.

Nolan broke into the side during the 2000/01 campaign under Sam Allardyce, making 31 appearances as Bolton secured their top-flight status with victory over Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium.

As the Premier League loomed, the midfielder was preparing to unleash his ability on the nation’s finest outfits, in a period that turned out to be Wanderers’ finest in modern football.

Kevin Nolan wowed the Premier League in Sam Allardyce’s Bolton side

Nolan arrived in England’s premier division and looked at home immediately, netting eight goals in 35 appearances as Bolton secured their top-flight status for a second year.

The standout moment from that campaign for Bolton was defeating reigning champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, with Nolan equalising the contest before Michael Ricketts sent the traveling supporters into raptures.

After riding the storm during their first couple of years back in the Premier League, Nolan and Co. took their performances up a notch in the 2003/04 season.

The midfielder scored nine goals as Bolton finished eighth in the table and just seven points off Champions League football.

Things would only get better for Wanderers, coming home sixth the following year and securing European football for the 2005/06 campaign.

During this period, Nolan had developed into one of the country’s most potent creative operators and was a key component in Allardyce’s remarkable Bolton outfit.

The club would continue this form to qualify for the UEFA Cup once more in 2007, with Sammy Lee now at the helm.

Bolton’s performance would subsequently dip following Allardyce’s exit, and before long, Nolan decided to end his decade-long stay at the Reebok Stadium.

Newcastle secured his services for £4.5 million in January 2009, and a brilliant stint for both player and club came to an end.

342 appearances, 50 goals and 12 assists is a return that has written Nolan into Bolton folklore, with his presence remembered extremely fondly during a hugely successful period for Wanderers.

Kevin Nolan proved to be a huge loss for Bolton

Nolan went on to have a brilliant career post-Bolton, despite suffering relegation to the Championship during his first innings as a Newcastle player.

He scored 17 goals and provided four assists in the second-tier as the Magpies romped to the title and would go on to continue his elite performances in the Premier League once more.

12 goals and two assists, including a hat-trick against Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby, showed that Nolan still had what it takes to operate at the highest level, whilst Bolton were suffering contrasting fortunes.

Wanderers wouldn’t record another top-half finish following Nolan’s exit and were ultimately relegated to the Championship in 2012.

Bolton haven’t returned to the Premier League in the 13 years that have followed, instead spending most of that time languishing in the EFL’s lower tiers.

The club have been through some tough moments in recent years but will hope under Steven Schumacher’s rule they can fight their way back up the Football League.

Time will tell whether Bolton return to the top-flight, but one thing is for sure, both Wanderers and Nolan will remember their wonderful career together for years to come.