Cole Happy at West Ham

Sam Allardyce says that Carlton Cole has turned down the offer of better money elsewhere to play for West Ham.

Allardyce seems to contradict what was reported when Cole turned down the chance to move to Stoke. It was said at the time that Stoke's strict wages policy meant Cole would earn far less than he does at West Ham.

Allardyce is reported in today's Mirror as saying,

"Carlton turned down Stoke, so he has to be commended for that. He turned down the chance of earning far more money than he earns at West Ham, so when every player is ridiculed that all they do is play for money, he is the opposite of that."

The Mirror also quote Cole saying that he is happy at West Ham,

"I am committed to West Ham – I always want to do well for the club because they gave me an opportunity when things were not going so well for me in my career, and I’ll never forget that.

"I am comfortable where I am, but obviously the manager has brought in some very good players. There is real competition for places now, and hopefully he will get the best out of me.

"We have good quality up front, good players to support us from midfield and a good defence - now it is up to our strikers to shine. I am happy [with] who the manager has brought in to give us a kick up the backside."