A goalscoring midfielder who keeps himself busy between the boxes and knows where the net is... and he's English
Nolan was rejected by boyhood club Liverpool and was a centre-back in Bolton’s youth team before emerging as a midfielder, becoming a regular during Bolton’s promotion season in 2000/01.
With a knack of arriving late in the box and the ability to finish chances, Nolan became a real goal threat from midfield and scored in back-to-back wins at Old Trafford. Selected only once for England under 21s, Nolan was touted as a candidate for full honours during the 2005/06 season when he bagged 11 goals and became Bolton’s captain – and Sam Allardyce's on-field lieutenant, whether he was standing in an 'offside' position to exploit the law or busily making a goalkeeper's life difficult at corners.
A dip in form led to him being dropped for Sammy Lee’s last game in charge but he was immediately restored as the team’s talisman by Gary Megson and is widely regarded as the man who makes Bolton tick; certainly, despite the odd disenchanted murmur from the Reebok stands, the Wanderers don't seem half as dangerous without him.
Despite this, Bolton decided to cash in on Nolan in the 2009 winter transfer window. Nolan moved on to Newcastle, with the Geordie's splashing £4m on the central midfielder player.