West Ham Want a Cole Lot More Money

Our Gaffer Tony Pulis has been told by Big Sam Allardyce that he must increase his offer for West Ham striker Carlton Cole if he is to bring the player to the club.

Stoke reportedly bid £3 million for the 27-year old but West Ham are holding out for a fee closer to £7 million for the England International… I personally was thinking in the regions of £3.1 million to £3.2 million, maybe £3.5 million if he buys Tone a drink.

Cole began his career at Chelsea before spending loan spells at Wolves, Charlton and Aston Villa. West Ham signed the player in 2006 scoring 42 goals in 158 appearances.

His 11 goals last season were not enough to save the East London side from relegation, and so with the club`s wage budget being a bit of burden, they`ll want to cash in on their star players, including Carlton, who is reported to be one of the highest earners at Upton Park.

In all fairness, on his day, Cole can produce a good performance and really pull it out of the bag for his team, but generally he`s a bit of a hit-and-miss. He`s slightly worse version of Ricardo Fuller, so we can`t have another player who is similar to the lazy and easily demotivated Jamaican. We need someone who has drive and consistency to back up the skills. Being skilled on the ball is one thing Carlton Cole, but if you`re not prepared to put in the hard graft and at the same time show a level of consistency, then you may struggle to win over the majority of fans.

In other news; we are reportedly interested in Preston midfielder Adam Barton and are willing to offer £1 million for the 20-year old. We have approached Birmingham about a double deal for defender Scott Dann and striker Cameron Jerome but must increase their initial £16 million bid for the pair.

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