Cole’s on-off return to Upton Park could finally be given the green light.Check in to West Ham United vs Everton
Carlton Cole could finally be offered a deal to rejoin West Ham United despite concerns over his fitness causing the club to flip-flop over whether to offer him a new contract, the Mirror reports.
The former Chelsea striker became a free agent after being released at the end of last season and was subsequently linked to a number of clubs such as Hull City, Crystal Palace and French side Saint Etienne.
However, he was not able to negotiate a deal with any of the clubs he found himself linked to over the summer and was mooted to return to West Ham after the club’s record signing Andy Carroll sustained an injury that could keep him out of action until the new year, leaving just Modibo Maiga as the club’s only recognised striker.
Manager Sam Allardyce saw himself linked with loan moves for the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba and Nicklas Bendtner, but all deals fell through on transfer deadline day.
Allardyce soon turned his attentions back to Cole, but the player’s fitness levels fell well below what they originally had hoped for, so the club pulled out of the deal to sign him back.
Cole has been training with the east London club and co-owner David Gold admits they could still strike a deal to bring him back if he proves his fitness over the next few weeks.
Gold said: “Carlton Cole is working hard to regain his fitness with a view to possible signing a new contract.”