Bolton tie up Iran's Teymourian

Bolton Wanderers FC have acquired the services of Iranian international midfielder Andranik Teymourian and are close to completing a deal for another player who was involved at this summer's FIFA World Cup in the shape of Czech Republic left-back Pavel Mareš.

Impressive World Cup
The 23-year-old Teymourian, who has signed a two-year contract with the English Premiership side, joins from Iranian club Abu Moslem. The defensive midfielder made his international debut last summer and featured in all three of Iran's games in Germany, taking his cap count to eleven. "Andranik is a talented player and someone I believe will be able to adapt to the tough demands of the Premiership," said Bolton manager Sam Allardyce. "He impressed a lot of people during the World Cup and I'm delighted we've beaten off a lot of competition to get his signature."

Mareš move
Mareš, meanwhile, is closing in on a move from Russian outfit FC Zenit St. Petersburg that could be worth almost €3m. The 30-year-old, capped ten times by the Czech Republic although an unused squad member in Germany, has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Petrovsky stadium by Zenit coach Dick Advocaat, having joined the club in 2003 from AC Sparta Praha. The defender has no regrets, however, saying: "I will always remember my time in Russia. I achieved the best results of my career with Zenit, who will stay in my heart forever. I haven't signed a contract with Bolton yet, but I plan to sort this out before the transfer window closes."