The Trotters have made a bit of a boo-boo, Back of the Net's John Foster takes up the story...
Bolton Wanderersâ fiscal prudence will come under scrutiny after a clerical error saw Gretar SteinssonâÂÂs contract extended by over eighteen thousand years, to 20014.
According to the player's spokesman, a typographical error by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside will see the 30-year old earn ã13,000 a week for the next 936,104 weeks, plus appearance bonuses.
âÂÂObviously IâÂÂm happy with the new deal,â Steinsson told reporters.
âÂÂAt first the club only wanted to offer a one-year extension, so IâÂÂm delighted theyâÂÂve relented and given me the full eighteen thousand.âÂÂ
The Icelandic right-back also confirmed that he expected to finish his career at the Reebok Stadium.
âÂÂI think IâÂÂll probably retire when this dealâÂÂs up,â he told reporters. âÂÂAfter all, IâÂÂll be 18,032 years old by then, which is a good age to hang up your boots and maybe think about going into coaching.âÂÂ
Bolton's 20013/14 away kit was one of Reebok's better efforts
An ashen-faced Gartside admitted he had not intended to tie Steinsson to the club for over eighteen millenia, but added that he was determined to make the best of the situation.
âÂÂ[The contract] may seem a bit on the lengthy side, but a lot can happen in eighteen thousand years,â he told FourFourTwo.com.
âÂÂEighteen thousand years ago, for example, whoâÂÂd have thought that the land bridge between Asia and Alaska wouldnâÂÂt exist today, or that humans would successfully domesticate the wolf? IâÂÂm confident GretarâÂÂs experience will be a great asset for this club, especially for our younger players, over the next one hundred and eighty centuries.âÂÂ
âÂÂBesides,â Gartside added, âÂÂas the saying goes, eighteen thousand years is a long time in football.âÂÂ
This is not the first time a Premier League club has erred in its contract negotiations. In 1998, a computer malfunction led to Sheffield Wednesday paying Wim Jonk ã8,888,888,888 a day for the duration of his two-year deal.
Similarly, in 2002, confusion over the correct exchange rate of the newly-launched Euro saw Massimo Maccarone move from Empoli to Middlesbrough for ã15.5 billion, a fee most fans believe he struggled to live up to.
