They Played for Both Clubs: Per Frandsen

Per Frandsen was born in Copenhagen in February 1970, and spent his formative years playing for local clubs BK Skjold and Boldklubben 1903, turning professional whilst at Boldklubben.

He made his senior debut in 1988, and a year later was progressing so well that he made his debut for the Danish under-21 national team. In his second season as a professional he made 25 appearances and scored 15 goals, which made him the third highest scorer in the Danish First Division - a season whose success was rewarded by a national team call-up that May. He would go on to make three appearances for Denmark in this early phase of his career played three under the control of Richard Møller Nielsen.

He would continue to make appearances for the Danish U-21 side from 1988 til 1992, making 21 appearances in total.

Such was Frandsen's quality that he was soon being scouted by larger sides across Europe. His form was such that in November 1990, he joined French Ligue 1 side Lille OSC in a club record transfer deal. He joined countryman Jakob Friis-Hansen at Lille, and made 109 appearances over four seasons for the club, scoring 19 goals along the way.

He continued making appearances for the Danish national side whilst at Lille, representing his country at the 1992 Olympics, where he played 90 minutes in each of Denmark's three games before elimination.

His time in France came to an end in the summer of 1994 when financial troubles at Lille meant that he was sold to Danish Superliga side F.C. København. He would spend two seasons back in Copenhagen, making 55 appearances and scoring 19 goals. Having won the Danish Cup with FCK, he moved abroad once again joining Bolton Wanderers in a joint deal with countryman Michael Johansen for £2.25m, with Frandsen valued at a frankly ridiculous £300,000. He would quickly become a key member of the Bolton side, making his English league debut in the opening game of the season in a 1-1 draw at Port Vale before scoring his first goal for the club the week after against Manchester City.

He soon earned a reputation as one of the best players outside the top-flight, and he was instrumental in helping Bolton win promotion back to the Premier League as Champions in his first season at the club. Such was his impressive form, he was offered a recall to the national team by new manager Bo Johansson after a five year absence.

Despite Bolton's relegation from the Premier League the following season, Frandsen was again a key member of the side, and as a result was included in the Danish squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he was used as a substitute in two games.

In September 1999 amidst more financial trouble, Frandsen joined Bolton's rivals Blackburn Rovers for £1.75million. The decision was against the wishes of Bolton manager Colin Todd, who subsequently resigned. Frandsen's stay at Ewood Park was far from happy, as he failed to settle, and at the end of the season he returned to Bolton for £1.6m under the charge of Todd's replacement Sam Allardyce. He had made just 31 appearances for Rovers, scoring five times.

His second period at Bolton was just as successful as the first, as the club established itself as a member of the Premier League after years of yo-yoing between divisions.

In his final year at Bolton, the club reached the League Cup final, though they were cheated out of a win by referee Mike Riley who contributed to Wanderers going down 2-1 to Middlesbrough. He was released at the end of the season by the club, having made 304 appearances in all competitions over two spells, scoring 38 goals in the process.

Upon his release, he joined Wigan Athletic on a free transfer, helping them win promotion to the Premiership for the first time in their history, though he only scored once that season, against Brighton. He made just nine appearances for the club, and after suffering a severe cruciate ligament injury and he decided to retire in January 2005.

Honours

Danish Cup : 1995

Football League Division One : 1997

Career Statistics