Hartlepool boss Mick Wadsworth has been rebuffed in trying to sign former Newcastle striker Lomana LuaLua. Wadsworth has a close relationship with the DR Congo international having worked with him at Colchester and Newcastle.
The 30-year-old is a free agent following his release by Cypriot side Omonia Nicosia.
However, LuaLua, who has been playing abroad since leaving Portsmouth for Olympiacos in 2007, is hopeful of securing another deal to remain in mainland Europe.
"I've spoken to Lomana a lot and I definitely tried to sign him," Wadsworth told the Sunderland Echo. "We were all excited by it, but we knew it was difficult.
"We discussed it and it would have been a fantastic signing, but he's not ready to come back here to England just yet. He's enjoying playing in Europe. He's had a great career and has got a few years left in him yet."
