Not many strikers can say they’ve been fired from a club for not scoring enough goals. This week’s Forgotten Blue can.
The unlucky man in question is Carlton Cole, who has had his contract terminated by Indonesian side Persib Bandung, reportedly for not scoring enough goals.
Long before his spell in Southeast Asia, Cole started his career at Chelsea. He signed a professional contract with the club in 2000, before joining the first-team two years later.
Cole made three first-team appearances during the 2001/02 season and scored his first Chelsea goal against Middlesbrough.
The next season saw Cole involved in the first-team on a more regular basis, with then-manager Claudio Ranieri describing him as the best young player he’s ever coached. Despite the Italian’s praise, Cole was sent on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers after failing to dislodge Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gianfranco Zola, and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
In 2003, Cole was rewarded with a new six-year contract at Stamford Bridge but was loaned out once again, this time joining Charlton Athletic. The following season was also spent out on loan, with Cole spending the 2004/05 season at Aston Villa.
He spent the 2005/06 season back at Chelsea but saw first-team opportunities increasingly limited, with Didier Drogba and Hernan Crespo preferred options. As Chelsea won the Premier League title in back-to-back seasons, Cole played nine matches. The striker also played three times in both competitions and scored once against Huddersfield Town.
This would prove to be Cole’s final season at Stamford Bridge. Cole moved across London and signed a four-year contract at West Ham United.
It would be his time spent at Upton Park that Cole would be most remembered for.
During his original spell at the club, Cole scored 47 goals in over 200 appearances across the Premier League and the Championship.
In consecutive seasons, Cole netted ten league goals for the Hammers. This earned him an international call-up in 2009. Cole made seven appearances for the Three Lions, all coming from the bench.
In 2013, West Ham announced that Cole would be leaving the club after seven seasons. However, Cole eventually signed a short-term contract with the side in October. He would spend another two seasons in East London, scoring eight league goals before leaving the club for the second time in the summer of 2015.
Glasgow was next for Cole, as he signed for Celtic on a two-year deal. He only made five appearances in all competitions at Celtic Park, before leaving the club after only eight months in June 2016.
Cole then moved Stateside and signed for United Soccer League side Sacramento Republic. Only four appearances later, the Englishman had left the club to return home.
But his next move wasn’t to a club on British soil. Cole moved to his third continent and joined Indonesian Liga 1 side Persib Badung. Like at Celtic, and at Sacramento Republic, Cole left the club after only a handful of appearances.
Now, in the present, Cole is a free agent searching for a new club. Anything is on the card for the 33-year-old, who will hope to play more frequently than he did at his three previous club.