Putting the focus on those players who have had long and well-travelled careers in the game, but only made a brief stop off at Molineux.
This week, we reflect on the career of a seven-time England striker, who found the net more than 50 times in the Premier League but featured in gold and black briefly in the second tier – Carlton Cole.
Before Wolves
Born in Croydon to a Nigerian father and a mother from Sierra Leone, Cole began his footballing career as a trainee with Chelsea, before signing his first professional contract with the club at the turn of the Millennium. It took the striker two years to make his mark on the Chelsea senior side, making his first-team debut in April 2002, coming on as a substitute for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in a 3-0 home win over Everton before making his first senior start three weeks later, which is where he also scored his first goal for the Blues as Chelsea beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside.
In Chelsea’s final season before Roman Abramovich took on the reigns at Stamford Bridge, Cole was integrated as a regular in the senior squad, with the then-19-year-old coming off the bench in place of Gianfranco Zola to score and claim an assist in the opening match of the Premier League campaign as the Blues claimed a 3-2 win over Charlton Athletic.
Although injuries interrupted his first few months as a first-teamer at Chelsea, boss Claudio Ranieri described the striker as the best young player he had ever coached.
Wolves career
With Hasselbaink, Zola and Eidur Gudjohnsen ahead of him in the pecking order, Cole saw his first-team opportunities limited, so with the young striker needing to get games under his belt, he was loaned to First Division Wolves in November 2002 on an initial one-month deal.
Stepping in to replace the injured Nathan Blake, it could have been a daunting task for a teenager, but Cole took the move in his stride. Having come off the bench for the closing quarter of Wolves’ goalless draw away at Rotherham, Cole was in from the start in his first outing at Molineux as the Old Gold took on Norwich City.
The previous season had seen Wolves miss out on promotion to the Premier League by the skin of their teeth having had a large points cushion heading into the final months, before falling out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage to the Canaries, so many around Molineux wanted to get revenge on Norwich that afternoon.
And it was Cole who allowed them to achieve that. His goal just before the break was enough to secure a 1-0 win which helped Wolves go 10 games without defeat. After the game, manager Dave Jones praised the young striker, while admitting he would like to extend the loan further – which it was for another month, before being cut short as Chelsea needed cover in attack.
But that was to be Cole’s only goal in gold and black, as Wolves entered a run of three defeats and two draws from their subsequent five games, all of which the Chelsea loanee featured in. Following Cole’s return to Stamford Bridge, Wolves lost just twice for the remainder of the season as the side progressed up the table, snatching a play-off place and securing a place in the top flight for the first time in almost two decades.
After Wolves
On his return to Chelsea, Cole scored six goals in all competitions, including a winning strike against Bolton Wanderers as the Blues pressed for a place in the Champions League. Cole signed a new six-year deal in the weeks before Chelsea began splashing the cash under Abramovich, and with the addition of Adrian Mutu and Hernan Crespo, Cole moved on loan to fellow Premier League side Charlton Athletic, leading the team to a seventh-place finish, before making another loan move the following term to join Aston Villa.
Returning to the club in the summer of 2005, Cole found first-team opportunities limited again thanks to the presence of Didier Drogba and Crespo, with the striker making just another dozen appearances before joining West Ham United 12 months later.
During the 10 years which would follow as a Hammer, Cole became a cult hero and modern icon. He even returned to the club following the conclusion of his playing career to become a coach at West Ham’s academy, passing on his years of knowledge and experience to the next generation of talent.
In his first season at Upton Park, Cole led West Ham to a respectable ninth-place finish, as well as a run to one of the most memorable FA Cup finals of the last 20 years, as Cole’s side pushed Liverpool all the way before losing on penalties.
During his time at West Ham, Cole also made his mark on the international stage, making his debut off the bench for England in February 2009 in a friendly against Spain, where he saw a late effort cleared off the line. He earned another six caps for the Three Lions, all coming from the bench – a national record.
After falling out of the Premier League, Cole fired West Ham back into the top flight at the first time of asking, before it was announced in May 2013 that his time at the club was coming to an end. However, after failing in their bids for a replacement, Cole returned in October and spent another two seasons with the club.
Leaving West Ham in 2015, Cole spent one season north of the border with Scottish giants Celtic before switching to United Soccer League club Sacramento Republic ahead of time spent with Indonesian side Persib Bandung where he reunited with former Chelsea teammate Michael Essien. He scored just once in his 14 appearances for the three clubs.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2023/24 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
