PLAYER PROFILE

Abdoulaye Meite

Position: Defence

Height: 6'1

Weight: 12st 12lbs

Date of Birth: 1980-10-06 Paris, France

Abdoulaye Meite

Bolton Wanderers snapped up Marseille defender Abdoulaye Meite after a long battle to clinch his signature in July 2006.

The 25-year-old penned a four-year deal with the Reebok Stadium-based outfit.

"Abdoulaye is a player we've been tracking for some time," then-boss Sam Allardyce told the club's official website.

"He has all the qualities you'd expect from an international footballer who also played for one of France's top teams. He's young and should adapt to the intensities of the Premier League rather quickly."

Meite represented his country at the 2006 World Cup and has spent the last six years with Marseille.

The Paris-born defender began his career with one of his home city's less well-known clubs, Red Star 93, before joining Marseille in 2000.

His first season at the Reebok Stadium proved wildly succesful as he played 40 times and scored once. He is a vital part of the Bolton team.