Editing Andy Cole (section)

===Early career===
Cole began his career as a youth player for [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] on leaving school in 1988, signing professional in 1989. He made his only league appearance for Arsenal, aged 19, as a [[Substitute (association football)|substitute]] against [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]] during a [[Football League First Division|First Division]] match on 29 December 1990. Arsenal won 4–1 but Cole did not score. He also made a substitute appearance against [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] in the [[FA Community Shield|Charity Shield]] in [[1991 FA Charity Shield|1991]] and almost made an immediate impact, hitting the side netting from outside the penalty area.<ref>{{cite news |title=Arsenal and Spurs share Shield |work=Agence France Presse |date=10 August 1991 }}</ref> The following season, Cole was loaned to [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] in the [[Football League Third Division|Third Division]], where he scored three goals in 13 matches.

Cole joined [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]] on loan in March 1992 before signing in a [[Pound sterling|£]]500,000 permanent deal in the summer of 1992, at the time becoming their most expensive player. Having proved himself as a competent young goalscorer with Bristol City (who began the [[1992–93 in English football|1992–93 season]] in the new [[Football League First Division|Football League Division One]] following the creation of the [[Premier League]]), Cole was quickly one of the hottest prospects in England and his name was frequently linked with Premier League clubs throughout the 1992–93 season.