West Ham United cult hero Carlton Cole was back at his old club this week and revealed who he most regrets not playing alongside in the claret and blue.
Carlton Cole during his West Ham playing days
Cole, who scored 55 goals in 256 games for the Hammers over two spells, is something of a cult hero at the club despite dividing opinion with his performances on the pitch.
He was released at the end of the 2014/15 season but has been back training at the club to keep up his fitness levels with special dispensation from Slaven Bilic.
The former Chelsea striker enjoyed his best top flight season in a Hammers shirt in 2008/9 when he scored 12 goals.
Cole celebrates after that play-off final win over Blackpool
And he notched 15 as he helped West Ham win promotion back to the big time from the Championship in 2012, including a crucial strike in the 2-1 play-off final victory against Blackpool.
Cole played alongside some top players during his time in East London including Craig Bellamy, Dean Ashton, Carlos Tevez, Javier Mascherano and Scott Parker.
But he has been telling the club’s official website how he regrets not playing with two of the current crop.
Cole would have loved to play alongside Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet
“I would have loved the chance to play alongside Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet and it is all about timing in life!” Cole told whufc.com.
“I always loved to play with great players and I was fortunate enough that I had the chance to do that at West Ham.
“But you look at someone like Payet who has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or and that is a great achievement. That just shows you what he has done since he arrived at West Ham and how the club has grown as well.”
It would have been interesting to see how Cole at his peak would have improved playing alongside the likes of Payet and Lanzini.
Simone Zaza looks dejected
With the skillful duo doing most of the damage for Bilic’s side nowadays it is easy to see why Cole wishes he could have played alongside them.
But it has not done much for current striker Simone Zaza, who some West Ham fans have said is not even as good as Cole despite the £25 million price tag on his head.
Cole had a goal ratio of just under one in five for the Hammers while Zaza is yet to score after seven games.
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