Bolton land Ballesta on loan

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has spoken of his delight at snapping up Salva Ballesta on loan subject to the 27-year-old Valencia striker passing a medical.

Ballesta could figure in the crucial match against Birmingham on Saturday if everything goes to plan.

Allardyce has been actively seeking to strengthen his attacking options for the past month and has finally got his reward.

“We are delighted that all our hard work has finally paid off, “ he told the club’s website, www.bwfc.co.uk

“Salva’s got a proven track record and has a tremendous pedigree in Spain.

“He is strong in the air with a fantastic eye for goal. We are confident he’ll score the goals we need to get us out of our current predicament.”

Salva hit 25 goals in the 1999/2000 season with Racing Santander – a feat that earned him a place in the Spain squad for the European Championships.

Following the tournament he signed for Atletico Madrid where he continued before moving to Valencia in 2001 for £7.2m (€10.8m).

But he has been out of the picture this season, although he did figure in Valencia’s defeat of Spartak Moscow in the Champions League in November.