Ibrahim Ba fails to agree Bolton contract

Former AC Milan midfielder Ibrahim Ba has failed to agree terms with Bolton over a new contract.

The breakdown means he has been ruled out of the FA Cup game at Tranmere tomorrow.

Ba was signed in the summer on a short term deal which expired at the end of December.

Even though he has yet to start a Premiership match, he was getting close to the level manager Sam Allardyce expected of him.

He was also pencilled in to replace Jay-Jay Okocha when he departs for the Africa Nations Cup later this month.

Ba’s absence at Prenton Park reduces Allardyce’s options even more as Ivan Campo, Kevin Davies and Ricardo Gardner are suspended.

The Bolton boss is still hoping that Ba will sign up – although he suspects there might now be other interested clubs.

“We have a slight problem with Ibrahim Ba because we haven’t sorted his new contract out,” said Allardyce. “We hoped that would be the case.

“It comes down to money and it means he won’t able to play against Tranmere.

“Maybe another club has popped out of the blue to compete with us. But I would be disappointed if he decided to leave here.”

There will be one new face in the Bolton squad – Jamaica goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts.

He has arrived initially on loan from Village United after a trial spell under the club’s goalkeeping coach Fred Barber.

Allardyce said: “Donovan is a fantastic guy, a big guy. We couldn’t sign him until January 1 but what we could do is get him trained up.

“That’s what happened and he has taken a massive battering in those sessions under Fred’s regime to get him ready.

“He will probably be on the bench. It will be for him to be involved and get a taste of what the FA Cup is about.”

Allardyce has also moved a step nearer to bringing in striker Javier Moreno on loan until the end of the season from Atletico Madrid.

“I am reasonably satisfied with the way things are going,” said the Bolton boss.

“We have moved a stage closer and hopefully we can complete a deal.

“I know we have got to improve the squad in terms of numbers. If we get Moreno in, then we can move on to the next target.”

With Davies sidelined, Henrik Pedersen is likely to start against the Second Division side.

Allardyce is anxious that Bolton are not found wanting at Prenton Park.

“We have to keep the momentum going no matter what team I put out, “ he said.

“This is a January that is fraught with danger. We have the FA Cup, the Carling Cup, not to mention four Premiership matches to contend with.

“We have to be very careful with the players and very careful about how we select and rotate them.”