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Meet Bolton's Teenage Prodigy: Alexander Samizadeh

Rob catches up with the young striker who can't stop scoring for Wanderers' youth teams

Alexander Samizadeh has scored six goals in four games for Bolton's under-18s this season
Alexander Samizadeh has scored six goals in four games for Bolton's under-18s this season

Given Bolton Wanderers' goalshy start to the Championship campaign it's difficult to blame fans for getting carried away about young strikers that can actually score goals.

Goalscoring wonder Jamie Thomas has already featured in first-team match day squads this season off the back of fans calling for him to be given a chance and now stepping straight into his boots is fellow striker Alexander Samizadeh, who has made goalscoring starts for both the Under 18 and Under 21 sides this season.

But who is Alexander Samizadeh? We caught up with him to find out about his career so far and life at Bolton.

Samizadeh is a 16-year-old forward who was born in Tehran, the capital city of Iran, and moved to England in December 2013. He started playing for National League North side Curzon Ashton's under-18s team in June 2014, quickly graduating to their first team before moving on to Bolton via Manchester City. In his words:

"I was playing for Curzon Ashton under-18s and scored around 19 goals in eight or nine games, and a few weeks later they sent me up to the first team. I played there for a few months and received a letter from Manchester City where I trained with the under-16s side with a view to training for their academy side.

"Maybe they didn't like me, or there was a Visa problem, but they didn't accept me so I came over to Bolton last November for a five week trial. I scored in every game last year, ending up with 24 goals and they offered me a scholarship. So now I've signed and I'm officially a Bolton player."

Alexander's goalscoring record hasn't slowed down with his promotion through the Bolton ranks. He scored a hat-trick on his debut for the under-18s against Colchester United in August, then followed that up with goals in the next three matches against Leeds United, Huddersfield Town and Brentford.

His form for the under-18s earned him a call-up to Wanderers' Development Squad against Cardiff City on Monday. Coming on as a substitute after 63 minutes with Wanderers trailing 1-0, Samizadeh earned the side a draw with another goalscoring debut - latching onto a through ball and coolly finishing a one-on-one opportunity at the near post. To see this goal, watch the video below.

<iframe width="854" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yhHZogK9FKk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Samizadeh clearly has an eye for goal, so we asked him what kind of player the Bolton fans should expect to see.

"I like Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero, I think they're players who are more like me - not too tall, fast and difficult to mark. I really like to work hard, so I'll keep on scoring and knock on the first team door to try and have a chance to play for the first team as soon as possible.

"It all depends on me but the club gives very good chances. For example, being on the bench for the under-21s was a great experience. I like Bolton because it feels like home, the staff look after me like a family and they really want me to develop and get better and better.

Wanderers fans have to be patient, as Samizadeh doesn't turn 17 until November, but he has had a really exciting start to his Bolton career and he seems like a really nice kid to go with the undoubted talent. We look forward to seeing him continue to bang in the goals for the Bolton youth sides, starting with the under-18s' fixture at Queens Park Rangers tomorrow, and hopefully he will get his chance in the first-team when he's ready.