
talkSPORT pundit called out for being West Ham employee in bitter on-air spat
Carlton Cole was accused of not speaking the truth about West Ham United due to being an employee of the club in a dispute live on talkSPORT.
Cole is employed by West Ham as the London club’s “loans and pathways manager”, having also previously played for the Irons himself.
The 41-year-old rarely speaks badly about United and was stunned by a prediction made live on air on Tuesday (32 December).
On the back of that, a United fan called up the radio station’s Drive show [31 December, 4:25pm] and said: “I know you work for the club and can’t badmouth them, but [Julen Lopetegui’s] terrible.
“He has to go. I honestly can’t see us winning a game in the next six-to-eight weeks without Jarrod Bowen around”
West Ham United hit by Jarrod Bowen injury blow
The caller was referencing the fact that Bowen is facing a spell out of action, which could go a long way to sealing Lopetegui’s sack at the London Stadium.
Bowen is undoubtedly the shining light in this squad and, without his goals and assists contribution, United would be closer to the bottom three than they already are.
Cole was right to defend his former side when it was mooted they could be relegated this season, but it is hard to be overly positive right now.
The 5-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool was a particularly tough one to take, and shows that for every step forward there are two steps back.

Lopetegui is a man under serious pressure at the London Stadium right now and he could well be out of a job if West Ham go and lose to Manchester City and Aston Villa next up.
If that is the case, the Spaniard can ultimately have zero complaints.
In other West Ham news, Richard Keys has blasted a United staff member with a brutal dig.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.