As he starts a new chapter in his career with Sacramento in the United States Carlton Cole still has regrets about how his brief Celtic career played out.
Signed in October by Ronny Deila as cover for Leigh Griffiths things never really worked out for the former West Ham and Chelsea striker.
Cole will forever be tagged alongside Colin Kazim Richards as a reminder of the darkest days of Deila’s reign as the plan to develop young talent backfired.
Despite failing to cut it at Celtic the Londoner has few regrets about moving to Glasgow.
Cole told the Evening Standard: “At Celtic in March I got a bad knee injury. I haven’t played a lot from then until now.
“Clubs in England wanted me to train with them, before deciding whether to offer me anything but I really wanted to move to the States. It didn’t work out at Celtic but I had a great time there.”
Describing his set up in the States he added: ““It’s always been a long-term ambition for me, so it’s a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door,” he said.
“I wanted to come over earlier in the summer but people were concerned that I hadn’t played enough games and wanted to know what my intentions were.
“Was it just going to be a pay day? They didn’t know what happened at Celtic. No one wanted to take a chance on me but I’ve got a good relationship with the coaches and staff here.
“They know I’m here to work hard and prove my fitness. I wasn’t very optimistic when I had the knee problem in March but because the medical team has given me so much attention, I can see a big future. It’s still a growing sport here and I want to prolong my career as long as possible.”
Cole’s time at Celtic is best remembered for the enthusiasm that the fans showed in chanting his name as a substitute at games up and down the country.
His only goal in the hoops came away to Stranraer in the Scottish Cup with his Celtic career consisting of four substitute appearances in the SPFL plus one game and one goal in the Scottish Cup.
