Harry set to pounce as Hammers end interest in Cole return
Published:The transfer window may have “slammed shut”, as seems obligatory to describe it, but that’s not the sort of thing that will deter Harry Redknapp from bringing more bodies into his QPR squad.
Free agent Carlton Cole was widely expected to re-sign for West Ham after being released by the Hammers this summer, with Sam Allardyce desperate for attacking reinforcements after the latest injury to Andy Carroll threatens to keep the targetman on the sidelines for several months.
However, if tweets by Jack Sullivan, the son of owner David, are anything to go by, it appears that a return to Upton Park will not be happening due to issues surrounding Cole’s fitness.
It leaves the door open for Redknapp, experiencing something of an injury crisis of his own, to bring the seven times capped England striker to Loftus Road.
His side may top the Championship, but Redknapp heads into this weekend’s tie with Yeovil without first choice strikers Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson, both of whom are nursing worrying knee injuries. It leaves Charlie Austin as the only fit first team striker, with youngster Tom Hitchcock waiting in the wings.
Reports this morning suggest that the sight of Cole holding a Hoops shirt will be imminent, but that may not spell the end of Redknapp’s search for more firepower, as he casts a glance at the swelling ranks of his former club, Spurs.
While Redknapp has himself admitted that persuading Emmanuel Adebayor to drop down a division might be a step too far, teammate Harry Kane should prove more attainable. The England under-21 striker is unlikely to feature much for his side this season, and could well prove receptive to spending a season playing regularly for Championship title-chasing team.
