Former West Ham striker Carlton Cole has lifted the lid on his role as the club’s loans and pathways manager. The Hammers legend has detailed his input helping to mould the careers for aspiring pros, regardless of whether they eventually shine at the London Stadium.
Cole, 41, turned out nearly 300 times for West Ham during a nine-year stint in east London and secured his place as a crowd favourite.
He hung up his boots after a brief period in Indonesia in 2017 and almost staged a playing comeback but returned to his former hunting ground in his present position last year.
And he has revealed the ins and outs of his behind-the-scenes responsibilities just as the summer transfer window reaches its conclusion. Much of West Ham’s summer activity has focused on new arrivals, but Cole has played his part in orchestrating the club’s dealings regarding exits for some of their most promising young prospects.
“I saw the benefits of having a loan and being looked after whilst on loan and having a pathway,” he said on the All Out Football podcast (via The Mirror).
“So what we do at West Ham is obviously create a pathway for them. Once they get to a certain level and they’re under-21s and you see that, OK, they need a bit extra to try and get to the standard of the Premier League.
“Because under-21s football, PL2 and the Premier league, the gap in quality is so far apart… you see a good player, but they’re not gonna get pushed to get to the Premier league level and be able to expose themselves, so you have to expose them to certain men’s football.”
Cole, whose own playing days were nearly derailed by an online fraudster, discussed his loan experiences with All Out Football co-host Joleon Lescott. Remarkably, the duo actually teamed up during their younger years when Cole joined Lescott’s Wolves outfit on a temporary deal.
Despite being shipped out from Claudio Ranieri’s Chelsea squad after he “kept coming in late,” Cole eventually valued the experience looking back. This has subsequently influenced his drive to assist today’s footballers in building their careers, regardless of whether their future lies with West Ham permanently.
“Some of these boys that we send on loan might not even have a chance to get to the first team,” he continued. “But we’d have made a footballer, because they’d have been playing 30, 40 games in a lower league or somewhere else in the world. And we’ve created this pathway for them to be a footballer and get paid to play football. And that’s the main thing for me.”
Centre-back Kaelan Casey represents one player who probably gained from Cole’s guidance this summer. The 20-year-old has stepped up to West Ham’s first-team setup but was loaned out to Championship outfit Swansea City for the campaign in August.
Similarly, numerous young prospects have progressed into Graham Potter’s senior setup after catching the eye in the academy. Midfielder Freddie Potts stands out as the jewel of that group, with Cole presumably having some influence regarding the most sensible next step for him and his development.
Having netted 52 goals in 289 Premier League appearances and represented his country seven times, Cole has a wealth of experience. The up-and-coming talent at West Ham are reaping the benefits of his wisdom, which includes knowledge on some of the Premier League’s strangers transfers ever, too.
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