Now is the time for Carlton Cole to prove his West Ham worth

As the clock ticked towards the close of the transfer window it looked increasingly likely that West Ham would be cutting their ties with Carlton Cole, with a move to West Brom mooted.

But in a scene that many will have witnessed when looking to buy a house, events elsewhere meant the deal was pulled at the last minute.

With the Hammers failing to secure the signing of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan, and a replacement not forthcoming, Cole’s Hawthorns adventure was called off.

This led to reports of the former Chelsea striker going on an expletive filled rant at boss Sam Allardyce, allegedly shouting “you’re f***ing my career up”.

A move away from the club that has used him as a substitute more regularly that giving him a starting berth may have been off, but now is the time the 31-year-old must prove his doubters wrong.

Another injury blow has ruled out Andy Carroll for at least a week and with a FIFA investigation causing the east London side to err on the side of caution when it comes to Diafra Sakho, Cole’s chance may come sooner rather than later.

Given a run out in the team, the man who is becoming something of a cult figure amongst Irons fans could prove his worth.

In fact, he has a better goals to game ratio than both Enner Valencia and Carroll this season, netting once every 165 minutes in comparison to once in 419 minutes and once in 240 minutes respectively.

That’s not the only statistic that points towards Cole being a Hammers talisman, with the club going on to win 72% of the games that he has found the net in over the course of the last four seasons.

Ultimately, injuries may now dictate that he is given another chance to show his worth.

And the player himself will be all too aware that he’ll need to perform when given any hint of an opportunity, especially if he wants to convince long-time admirer Tony Pulis that’s he ‘s worth going back in for this summer.

But for now, more immediate thoughts will be on Manchester United’s visit to the Boleyn, and if the seven-capped England international can get on the scoresheet, maybe Allardyce will be more inclined to keep him in east London.

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