Bolton have completed the signing of El Hadji Diouf on a season-long loan deal from Liverpool.
The Trotters managed to fight off a last-ditch attempt to hijack the deal by Italian side Fiorentina to bring the Liverpool misfit to The Reebok stadium.
New Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has not issued the Senegal international with a squad number and told him he could leave if he found a new club.
The 23-year-old failed to live up to his expectations at Anfield after arriving from Lens in a £10m deal following a promising World Cup in the summer of 2002.
Diouf might make his debut this weekend when Bolton play Fulham, provided the club obtain a work permit in time.
Bolton manager Allardyce told the club’s official website: “If he is willing to work hard and is ready to adapt to our coaching principles he will have the ability to become a top player at the club.
“I firmly believe we can resurrect his career and give him the impetus to recapture the form that made him one of the best footballers to come out of Africa in recent times.”
The two-time African Footballer of the Year is desperate to kick-start his career again after a miserable two years at Liverpool.
