Jussi Jaaskelainen has admitted for the first time that he thought his Bolton career could have come to an end last summer.
The 33-year-old missed the final ten games of the 2007/08 campaign with a back injury, and with Ali Al Habsi impressing during the Finn's spell on the sidelines, many thought they would never see Jaaskelainen in a Wanderers shirt again.
However, the club's longest serving player says he never wanted to leave the club and was happy to sign when he was offered a new four-year deal.
"Getting that injury was a big concern for me because it came at an awful time," Jaaskelainen told The Bolton News.
"I wouldn't have a contract at the end of the season and it was 50-50 whether I might need an operation.
"Luckily I got fit and didn't need the operation. Straight after the last game the chairman came to me and said 'We have to sort this contract out' and a week later it was all sorted.
"I left all that to my agent, as I always do, but it was a big thing for me that it was sorted out very quickly.
"I know there was a lot of speculation that I would be moving on, but I never really wanted to go anywhere else."
After recovering from his injury, Jaaskelainen went on to become an ever-present for Wanderers last season.
Pos | Team | Pld | Pts |
7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 80 |
8 | Oxford United | 46 | 76 |
9 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 73 |
10 | Portsmouth | 46 | 73 |
11 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 70 |
View Full Standings >> |
Who is Bolton's 2021/22 Player of the Year? | |
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32.58% | Oladapo Afolayan |
30.96% | Gethin Jones |
21.72% | Ricardo Almeida Santos |
5.51% | Declan John |
4.05% | Kieran Lee |
3.08% | MJ Williams |
1.78% | Joel Dixon |
0.32% | George Johnston |