Devante Cole

Club career Manchester City Cole joined Premier League club Manchester City in April 2003, In July 2014, youth team coach Patrick Vieira took his players off the pitch after an alleged racist incident in a friendly game, following a similar incident where Cole was racially abused by opposition players and supporters during a UEFA Youth League match against Atlético Madrid five months earlier.

On 19 August 2014, Cole signed on loan for Barnsley until 5 January. He made his professional debut the same day, appearing as a substitute in a League One game away to Coventry City. On 22 January 2015, Cole returned to League One on loan at Milton Keynes Dons until the end of the 2014–15 season. Dons manager Karl Robinson said he had wanted to bring the youngster to Stadium MK for "a long while". The Dons were promoted in second-place at the end of the season, Bradford City manager Phil Parkinson praised Cole's pace. Before signing for them, he had been on trial with West Ham United and had been linked with a transfer to both Birmingham City and Preston North End. Manager Phil Parkinson praised Cole's potential development. New striker partner James Hanson also discussed their teamwork, and the improvement in Cole's all-round game was praised by Parkinson in October. He scored six goals in 24 games for the Bantams. with forward Jamie Proctor moving the opposite way on loan, as manager Steven Pressley cited a need for "a number nine we can rely on to score goals". Cole said he felt the new club suited him better than Bradford had done. He did not score in his first 12 games for the Fishermen, though ended the 2015–16 season with a goal in each of the final two matches. This tally included a brace in an FA Cup win over Shrewsbury Town at Highbury Stadium. New head coach Uwe Rösler promised to judge him on his overall contribution to the team rather than his goal tally. Fleetwood qualified for the play-offs, losing to his former club Bradford City at the semi-final stage. Cole enjoyed a positive start to the 2017–18 season, scoring a brace in a win over AFC Wimbledon. He was nominated for the EFL September Goal of the Month for his strike at Portsmouth.

Wigan Athletic On 31 January 2018, Cole was signed to Wigan Athletic on a two-and-half year deal for an undisclosed fee. Manager Paul Cook warned him that he faced a challenge even to make the squad due to the Latics' attacking strength. Wigan won the League One title at the end of the 2017–18 season, though Cole was limited to six substitute appearances. He scored two goals in 16 games, though only six were league starts,

On 2 July 2019, Cole joined Scottish Premiership club Motherwell on an initial six-month loan deal. He scored four goals in 19 games, though was unsuccessful. Cole was instead linked with moves to both Hull City and Luton Town.

Doncaster Rovers Cole was transferred to League One side Doncaster Rovers for an undisclosed fee on 27 January 2020 on an initial deal until the end of the season. Cole said he had come to the Keepmoat Stadium because he wanted "to play and score goals". He was released by Doncaster at the end of the 2019–20 season, having made five starts and four substitute appearances without finding the net. He scored a brace in a 3–1 win over Livingston at Fir Park on 6 March. Motherwell supporters voted him as the club's Player of the Month for March. He scored 12 goals in 31 matches to become the club's top scorer that season. New manager Graham Alexander hoped to persuade the striker to extend his contract beyond the summer.

Barnsley On 8 June 2021, Cole signed a three-year contract with Barnsley. He scored his first goal in his second spell for the club on 24 October in a 3–2 loss to Sheffield United. This was his only goal in 24 Championship games as the club were relegated at the end of the 2021–22 campaign. Cole was initially sidelined by manager Markus Schopp and suggested that the partial comeback against Sheffield United was due to the players rather than Schopp. He was also dropped by new manager Poya Asbaghi.

On 17 December 2022, Cole scored a brace in a 2–0 home win over former club Burton Albion, earning himself the third-highest rating in that weekend's League One fixtures. He ended the 2022–23 campaign with 16 goals in 53 appearances, He was also praised for his "work rate for the team and his pressing" by coach Martin Devaney. Cole in turn praised the new coaching staff, saying he had a "connection straight away" with head coach Michael Duff, in contrast to the club's previous managers. He was named as March's League One PFA Fans' Player of the Month. The season concluded with a defeat at Wembley Stadium to Sheffield Wednesday in the play-off final, with Cole substituted on 72 minutes when the game was still goalless.

On 5 August 2023, Cole scored a hat-trick in a 7–0 rout of Port Vale in what was Neill Collins's first match in charge. The following month, he was nominated for the League One Player of the Month award after scoring four goals in five games. On 24 October, he scored his tenth league goal of the campaign in a 3–0 victory over Shrewsbury Town, also providing an assist for Callum Styles, to secure himself the third-highest rating in that weekend's League One fixtures. Barnsley fans voted him as the club's Player of the Month for both September and October. Barnsley again qualified for the play-offs in 2024, though lost to Bolton Wanderers at the semi-final stage. Cole scored 18 goals from 49 appearances in the 2023–24 season, though was dropped towards the end of the campaign as his goals dried up. The club announced in May that he would be released upon the expiry of his contract. Cole released an emotional statement to thank the club and state his regret that a League One promotion had not been achieved, saying that Barnsley would "always be a special place for me".

West Bromwich Albion On 31 July 2024, Cole signed a two-year contract with Championship club West Bromwich Albion. Despite working under five different managers and interim managers — Carlos Corberán, Chris Brunt, Tony Mowbray, James Morrison, and Ryan Mason — he never established himself in the first XI, making 15 appearances from the bench and one cup start in the 2024–25 campaign. though regretted that Cole had struggled for appearances due to the form of Josh Maja. Mowbray opted to play without a recognised striker rather than utilise Cole. Cole left the club after all parties came to an agreement on the remainder of his contract.

Port Vale Cole signed for League One club Port Vale on 1 September 2025, with manager Darren Moore explaining that he was "a player that had plenty of interest from various clubs". He made his debut five days later and was named as the team's player of the match after securing an assist and scoring a goal in a 3–2 defeat to Leyton Orient at Vale Park, his first competitive match in seven months. This was rated as the fifth-best performance in League One that weekend. He scored three goals in his first five games and was voted as the club's Player of the Month for September. He was also nominated for both the PFA League One Fans' Player of the Month and EFL League One Player of the Month award. He scored eight goals in 23 appearances across all competitions during his four-month stay.

Luton Town On 31 January 2026, Cole joined League One club Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. Manager Jack Wilshere described him as "an exciting signing". He appeared in the 2026 EFL Trophy final victory over Stockport County as a stoppage-time substitute.

International career Cole has represented England at under-16, under-17, under-18, and under-19 levels. He made his debut for the England under-19 team on 5 March 2014 in a friendly match against Turkey, starting the game and scoring the opening goal. On 29 May 2014, he made a further appearance from the start in a European Championship elite qualification match against Ukraine, which England lost to a deflected 94th-minute strike that eliminated them from the final tournament.

In November 2023, Cole was called up to the Jamaica national team for a set of 2023–24 CONCACAF Nations League matches. He was named in a provisional 60-man squad in February 2024.

Style of play Cole is a quick striker with natural finishing ability, who can also play out wide.

Career statistics

Honours Milton Keynes Dons Football League One second-place promotion: 2014–15

Luton Town EFL Trophy: 2025–26