Carlton Cole

Carlton Michael Cole (born November 12,1983, He is of Nigerian and Sierra Leonean descent via his parents but rejected the chance to play for either of the national sides.

Club career

Chelsea

Cole made his Chelsea F.C. debut on April 6 2002 as a substitute for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in a 3-0 victory against Everton F.C.. He made his first senior start three weeks later, scoring a goal as Chelsea beat Middlesbrough F.C. at the the Riverside. He made one more appearance for Chelsea in the 2001/02 season, in a 3-1 home defeat against Aston Villa F.C. in May 2002.

Cole started the 2002/03 season in the Chelsea first team squad, scoring a goal and making another in the opening game of the season in a 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic F.C. after coming on as a substitute for Gianfranco Zola. He suffered a hairline fracture in his leg in August but returned to action in a League Cup tie against Gillingham F.C. in November, scoring two goals. Claudio Ranieri, the then manager of Chelsea, described Cole as being the best young player that he had ever coached, saying, "I've never coached a young player like Carlton. He's fantastic even though he hasn't really started his career yet. He has a very long contract, and, in my opinion, a very big future at Chelsea." However, with Eidur Gudjohnsen, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Gianfranco Zola available for selection, Cole's first team opportunities were limited and he was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in November 2002 for one month, later extended to two months. Having made seven appearances for Wolves, scoring one goal, Cole made a further twelve league and cup appearances for Chelsea in the 2002/03 season, in addition to the four that he made before going on loan to Wolves. and the winner against Bolton Wanderers F.C. in April 2003 as Chelsea pressed for a place in the Champions League.

Cole signed a new six-year contract with Chelsea in the summer of 2003 but with Adrian Mutu, Gudjohnsen, Hasselbaink and Mikael Forssell also battling for a place in the starting lineup for Chelsea, he joined Charlton Athletic F.C. on a season-long loan in August 2003, where he scored five goals in 22 league and cup appearances, Cole joined Aston Villa F.C. on another season-long loan. This move sparked off a dispute as Charlton were expecting Cole to return to the club as part of the deal that took Scott Parker from Charlton to Chelsea. The dispute was later resolved when the two clubs reached a settlement. Cole scored three goals in 30 league and cup appearances for Aston Villa, in a season which was interrupted by a knee injury picked up in an England U21 match against Holland U21 in February 2005.

He returned to Chelsea in summer 2005 where he appeared in pre-season friendlies. However, first team opportunities were limited by the presence of Didier Drogba and Hernán Crespo and Cole made only 12 league and cup appearances for Chelsea in the 2005/06 season, scoring one goal in the FA Cup win over Huddersfield. having made a total of 31 league and cup appearances for Chelsea, scoring eight goals. However, in a season of turmoil at West Ham in which the club only secured their place in the Premier League on the final day of the season, Cole was unable to establish himself in the first team, making 23 league and cup appearances, 15 of which were as substitute, and scoring three goals. including two goals in the 3-1 win over Ukraine U21 in August 2004. Peter Taylor (footballer born 1953), the then England U21 manager, felt that Cole had "...the potential to break into the full England squad...".