Carroll reminds me of Drogba, says West Ham's Cole

Posted Tuesday, May 07, 2013 by YAHOO Sport

Joe Cole says West Ham loanee Andy Carroll reminds him of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, and revealed that the Hammers want to keep the striker at the club.

Carroll, who is spending the 2012-13 season at Upton Park, initially struggled for form under Sam Allardyce, but has since scored five goals and two assists in his last nine outings.

Cole, who also played with Carroll at Liverpool, has claimed that the 24-year-old reminds him of another former teammate, ex-Chelsea star Didier Drogba.

"Andy Carroll's a great talent," he told talkSPORT. "He reminds me of Didier Drogba.

"You can see him in the tunnel and he intimidates center halves with his long hair and broad shoulders, throwing them about. He's been a real handful.

"It's great to see him playing with so much confidence and with a smile on his face."

Carroll is intent on proving his worth at parent club Liverpool, despite West Ham co-owner David Sullivan opening talks with the Reds over a 10 million pound summer switch. Cole understands Carroll's predicament, but confirmed that West Ham are very keen on extending the striker's stay at the club.

"West Ham definitely want to keep Andy Carroll," Cole said. "I don't know the ins and outs of the deal but the way he's been playing in the last couple of weeks you can understand why Liverpool paid 35 million pounds for him a couple of years ago.

"West Ham would like to keep him; he's our top scorer. He's got to do what's right for him though."