Jussi Jaaskelainen has explained why the possibility of joining Manchester United never tempted him.
Jaaskelainen made 530 appearances for Bolton during a 15-year spell at the club, helping them establish themselves as a Premier League side under Sam Allardyce. The Finnish goalkeeper was a solid performer, keeping 108 clean sheets in the Premier League during his time at Bolton and West Ham.
He enjoyed a long and successful career in English football after arriving at Bolton via a trial spell at Norwich. Jaaskelainen's path to the Premier League is especially impressive when you consider that he worked as an electrician in Finland before joining Wanderers in 1997, while his previous side, Vaasan, was only semi-professional.
His long spell at Bolton is rare in modern football, with many players switching clubs much more regularly. Jaaskelainen says he never really felt compelled to leave Bolton because he was treated so well by the club and had settled in the city with his family.
“There have been a few stories around possible moves during my time at Bolton, although to be honest I think some of them, like the links with Manchester United, were more rumors and nothing more,” he said at the launch of Ladbrokes' “Gaffer van all Accas”.
“I did have the opportunity to move to Sunderland but that was a little later in my career, maybe 2007, but then I decided to sign a long-term contract with Bolton. There was also a chance for me to sign for Galatasaray at one point when I was about to become a free agent, but I just wanted to stay in the Premier League.
“I don't remember exactly what year it was, but I injured my back, maybe in 2005, while I was in talks with Tottenham. But they never really got going because they fell through as soon as I got injured. But I was so happy at Bolton. My family was happy, and that was the most important thing to me.
“To be honest, I never really felt like I left Bolton. It's strange because I went on to play for a few more teams in England, but even when I signed for West Ham and spent three seasons there, my family still lived in Bolton, so I traveled around the country. .
“Bolton has always felt like home, so I never really wanted to go anywhere else. Even now, when I come back to England, it still feels like home to me. Football is a big part of my life but my family is even bigger and they were happy in Bolton so we were always going to be there.”
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