West Ham’s Kovac: Cole the key for avoiding relegation

January 2, 2010

West Ham’s Radoslav Kovac says his team-mate Carlton Cole’s return will be the key for the Hammers’ Premier League survival. The England striker has not featured for his side ever since he was ruled out with a knee injury in the 5-3 win over Burnley in November.Cole may feature in his side’s games this month if his recovery goes to plan. Meanwhile Gianfranco Zola’s side are currently outside the relegation zone and Kovac believes Cole’s return is crucial to their chances of staying up.

Kovac told deniksport.cz, “We have a lot of injured players. The most devastating absence is the one of striker Carlton Cole.

“He is a fantastic player, he is strong in keeping the ball under control. Now it is (Guillermo) Franco who has been playing in his place.

“Franco is also a great striker, but he is all alone up front. I have recently seen the attack of Bolton or Tottenham. They have Defoe, Crouch, Keane, Pavlyuchenko.

“We have just Franco and the young lads. That leaves us in some trouble when it comes to attacking.”

He added, “Every single match is important for us now, we are fully aware of what is at stake.

“As soon as Cole returns to action we will improve, I think. Personally, I am expecting a new signing to arrive during January. We will recover.”

Share and Enjoy: