Carlton Cole's past comments about Celtic after controversial claim

One could argue that Celtic's decision to sign Carlton Cole was doomed to fail. He had scored a combined 11 goals in his last three seasons with West Ham United before being released. Even in his prime, he was never a top-level finisher and his best goalscoring run came while playing in the Championship.

Not too long ago, Celtic would often focus on signing 'big name' players rather than making the right additions. Cole proved to be one such signing. Other than West Ham United, he had also represented clubs like Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Some of Cole's recent comments about his time at Celtic have caused a lot of controversy though. He went as far as describing the club as 'Mickey Mouse'.

His biggest issue was with the medical structure at Celtic during his time there. As reported by The Scottish Sun, Cole said on Let Me Be Frank Podcast:

"From the outside at the time, Celtic looked like a massive club but when you go in and you see it, it was a little bit Mickey Mouse. It wasn't great.

"For me, the medical team was essential to keep me going and keep me fit. But there were two - it was divided. There was the old faithful, the Scottish medical team and there was the Norwegian medical team as well. They couldn't really agree, the two medical teams.

"So when you went in, you had to pick a side as a player. It was just really weird for me. That was just one of the things. But I'm not saying it was just that.

"But I'm just saying I was mentally prepared for these things. And it culminated into me not performing."

Carlton Cole's past comments about Celtic after controversial claim

It would be an understatement to say that Cole's comments have not gone down well with Celtic fans. And since then, some of his claims after joining the club have re-emerged. As reported by BBC back in 2015, he said:

"When Celtic called and said they wanted me, I just ran over.

"Being at Celtic is not about the money, it's about wearing the shirt with pride.

"Celtic are in a great position to win trophies and I want to add that to my career."

So, it would be safe to say that Cole was saying all the right things when he arrived at Celtic. But clearly his expectations were not met.

Frankly speaking, he has the right to speak about his experience at Celtic for sure. Maybe he could have put things better but that is all. Over the years, there have been plenty of occasions when the fans have complained about the structure of the club and things have certainly improved since 2015.

At the same time, it would be worth pointing out that Cole did not enjoy much success after leaving Celtic either. He had spells in Indonesia and the USL, but failed to score.