Jay-Jay set to stay

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is ready to offer Jay-Jay Okocha a new contract following the Nigerian’s recent impressive performances.

The 32-year-old looked set to quit the Barclays Premiership for a lucrative contract in Qatar during the January transfer window after struggling to force his way into the Trotters side on a regular basis during the early weeks of the campaign.

However, after returning from African Nations Cup duty with Nigeria, Okocha has proved to be one of the inspirations behind Bolton’s push for a second successive European berth and, when he gets round to deciding who he wants to keep during the summer, Allardyce is set to look favourably in the popular midfielder’s direction.

“In the form Jay-Jay is in at the moment, he is saying ‘I am here, I am back and I want to play in the Premiership’,” Allardyce told www.bwfc.co.uk.

“The offer from Qatar was huge but we rejected it in the end. Now we are seeing the form we knew he had.

“Jay-Jay is now back to his best and playing like we know he can and we are all very pleased to see that again.”