Blues Looking To Land Anelka By Week’s End

The Blues had their opening bid for the French scoring ace denied, but the expectation is that the two clubs will meet somewhere in the middle between the initial £11m offer and Bolton's £15m valuation.

"We have confirmed we have an interest in Anelka,” said Grant speaking after the hard fought 2-1 Carling Cup victory over Everton on Tuesday, which underlined Chelsea’s current disparity in resources up front.

“We made a bid two days ago because we wanted him for the Everton match but I hope it will be for Saturday," he added. "If not we will carry on with the players we have.

"We do not plan to stay with one striker. It is important to do it quickly but this is not my area. I am not negotiating with Bolton."

Chelsea were without Andriy Shevchenko, Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou due to a combination of injuries and international commitments, so it certainly would have been a concern to any Blues backers to see summer signing Claudio Pizarro struggle alone up front.

It was Shaun Wright-Phillips who came through in the clutch by netting the opening goal of a 2-1 victory, which was ultimately settled by a last-gasp Lescott own-goal.

"Shaun is in good form," acknowledged Grant. "I think he will be in the next England squad. He started in midfield, then on the right wing and then as a striker. He got used to it very quickly and that showed he is an intelligent player."