Arsenal’s failure to spot Andy Cole’s prowess from a young age may have cost them Premier League titles.
Cole joined the Gunners’ youth set-up after leaving school in 1989, but made just one senior club appearance before leaving for Bristol City.
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The striker, who is now a member of the Premier League Hall of Fame, has scored an incredible 187 league goals, most of them at Manchester United.
And speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, one of the league’s all-time greats explained how it took him a while to just focus on finding the back of the net.
Alan Shearer asked if it was always about goals for him, but he replied: “No. The crazy thing was when I was at Arsenal as a kid, they didn’t believe I would score enough goals.
“When I was young, for me it wasn’t about goals, it was about fun, touching the ball more, doing a little more.
“When I gradually moved from Bristol City to Newcastle, it was all Kevin [Keegan] What I wanted to do was play in the penalty area and score goals.
“So I changed my game to do just that, but like I said when I was younger, I always wanted to get on the ball and take on the players, just get involved in all the open play.”
Cole’s time under Keegan at Newcastle appeared to help him become one of the best finishers in the league, ultimately at the expense of his former club, Arsenal.
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He featured in Man United’s title battle against the Gunners in the 1998/99 season and scored a decisive goal on the final day.
After losing 1-0 to Tottenham, David Beckham equalized before Cole scored an audacious shot in front of the Stretford End.
It was enough to win the title and finish a point ahead of Arsenal, but United’s incredible efforts didn’t stop there.
In the following ten days, they won the FA Cup and Champions League to seal a historic first treble.
Cole started both finals and has firmly established himself as an integral part of their iconic side after scoring 24 goals this season.
He finally left United in 2001, winning five of the six Premier League titles available during his time at Old Trafford.
Arsenal have only won it once during this period, so it could have been a completely different story if they had kept Cole in their ranks.
Arsenal’s failure to spot Andy Cole’s prowess from a young age may have cost them Premier League titles.
Cole joined the Gunners’ youth set-up after leaving school in 1989, but made just one senior club appearance before leaving for Bristol City.
3
The striker, who is now a member of the Premier League Hall of Fame, has scored an incredible 187 league goals, most of them at Manchester United.
And speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, one of the league’s all-time greats explained how it took him a while to just focus on finding the back of the net.
Alan Shearer asked if it was always about goals for him, but he replied: “No. The crazy thing was when I was at Arsenal as a kid, they didn’t believe I would score enough goals.
“When I was young, for me it wasn’t about goals, it was about fun, touching the ball more, doing a little more.
“When I gradually moved from Bristol City to Newcastle, it was all Kevin [Keegan] What I wanted to do was play in the penalty area and score goals.
“So I changed my game to do just that, but like I said when I was younger, I always wanted to get on the ball and take on the players, just get involved in all the open play.”
Cole’s time under Keegan at Newcastle appeared to help him become one of the best finishers in the league, ultimately at the expense of his former club, Arsenal.
3
3
He featured in Man United’s title battle against the Gunners in the 1998/99 season and scored a decisive goal on the final day.
After losing 1-0 to Tottenham, David Beckham equalized before Cole scored an audacious shot in front of the Stretford End.
It was enough to win the title and finish a point ahead of Arsenal, but United’s incredible efforts didn’t stop there.
In the following ten days, they won the FA Cup and Champions League to seal a historic first treble.
Cole started both finals and has firmly established himself as an integral part of their iconic side after scoring 24 goals this season.
He finally left United in 2001, winning five of the six Premier League titles available during his time at Old Trafford.
Arsenal have only won it once during this period, so it could have been a completely different story if they had kept Cole in their ranks.
