10 Former Players Bolton Wanderers Could Do With Now

8. Marcos Alonso

It may have only been for a minute, but former Sunderland left-back Marcos Alonso played for Real Madrid only four years ago, replacing Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain in stoppage-time of a La Liga clash with Racing Santander. It was sweet relief for a Madridista who had spent eleven years with the club, but it would prove to be his only contribution to the greatest club on earth - one would have to dig into the archives to see if he actually touched the ball. Bolton have a history of signing ex-Real Madrid players, with former boss Sam Allardyce in particular developing that particular penchant, and Alonso was soon to be the latest, penning a deal in the summer of 2010. While his first two seasons yielded just nine league appearances, the left-back came of age during the 12/13 season and featured 30 times in all competitions and was voted The Bolton News€™ player of the year with 37% of the vote. He was then snapped up by Italian side Fiorentina, and after a slow start was loaned out to Sunderland where he impressed in his 20 appearances during the second half of the 13/14 season as Gus Poyet€™s men pulled off the €˜Great Escape€™. Bolton still miss his composure and class on the ball.