Former Liverpool and England midfielder Joe Cole signed for the Reds on this day in 2010. More than a decade later, he confessed that it was a mistake in hindsight.
Joe Cole has acknowledged that if given another chance, he would not have joined Liverpool and that the only reason he left Chelsea was because he thought his playing days were coming to an end. The former England player had a serious knee injury in January 2009 while playing Southend United in the FA Cup. At 42 years old, he considers this to be a turning point in his professional life.
He was a lifetime Chelsea fan who left the team eighteen months after his contract ran out.In a Bosman move, Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur to acquire the midfield player, who became one of Roy Hodgson’s first additions to the squad.
Still, his dismal debut at the club was hinted at by his unveiling alongside disappointing players like Danny Wilson and Milan Jovanovic. Cole made just 42 appearances and scored five goals throughout his tenure with the Reds.
He was loaned to Lille after a disappointing first season under Kenny Dalglish, then he was brought back under Brendan Rodgers. Even though he still had 18 months left on his contract, he was nevertheless permitted to sign with West Ham United on a free transfer just six months later, in January 2013.
Cole acknowledges that he would have loved to stay at Chelsea, but he felt it was better to move to Liverpool from Stamford Bridge after realizing he wasn’t the same player following his injury. He said, “(Contract) negotiations started and we were getting there, but then I done my knee,” in the podcast “The Obi One” with John Obi Mikel. “When I departed, I had just turned 29 or was almost 29.
“I was never the same player after I injured my knee, and that was likely the beginning of the end of my career. I completed ACL, PCL, and MCL, and I missed 11 months of work.
“It upset me, but from a business standpoint, Chelsea was correct in retrospect. Chelsea withdrew from the talks despite being in a strong position to negotiate a contract and doing my knee because they wanted to see how I was feeling when I returned.
“After that, I return in October. Carlo (Ancelotti) had entered the club by this point. Even though I was performing well as a substitute, it was difficult for me to reintegrate into the team.
“In January, the boys traveled to the Africa Cup of Nations. I was confident that I would get to play frequently. After I played every game for six, seven, or eight straight and performed admirably, they said, ‘We can offer you this new deal.’ It was not at its previous level.
“It was more of a struggle with football since my ego got a little involved. My knee would explode as I played. Certain things that I used to be able to accomplish, I was unable to do. It’s rare to recover to your previous level of pain, therefore I needed to apply an ice pack to my knee after every game.
“After that, they called off the talks. Carlo, though, was really hoping I would stay. Carlo is a decent human being, which is why I believe him. “I want to play you, but Malouda and Kalou are playing so well,” he remarked.
“I’m sane enough to realize how good they’re playing. If they’re not, I don’t knock on the manager’s door. However, I played well when I was playing, which is how we were able to win the double. Everyone was carrying out their share.
“It got to the end of the season… my body was just failing me,” he continued. “I started the title decider up at Old Trafford.” I hurt my back in the final two minutes of training, so we had to win the match; we couldn’t tie to avoid losing the league.
“I made a score… We came out on top in the game, but I doubt I was able to train for the next three or four days. I truly destroyed myself. That’s the way my body responded to it. I realized, subliminally, that I would never be able to return to my previous level of play. I must go now. I don’t want to sit on the injured table and finish my Chelsea career that way.”
Cole gave an explanation of his final decision to move to Anfield when reflecting on his move to Liverpool. With the advantage of hindsight, he said that he now wished he had relocated elsewhere.
“I had a choice between Liverpool or Spurs because Arsenal pulled out and I just couldn’t go to Spurs,” he said. “I was unable to go. Given that Harry Redknapp was the manager, they had a strong squad, I lived in London, and half of my friends are Spurs supporters, it would have made sense. It was just not possible for me.
I recently had my daughter, and I think Liverpool is a fantastic club. Although it didn’t work for me there, it’s a great club and a worldwide institution. However, I think that if I could go back in time, I would say, “No, you know what, wait.” Additionally, I would have traveled overseas to a warm place because playing in the heat improved my knee.
“Because I traveled to Liverpool, West Ham, then Villa after that. I was just managing my issues with my knee, but I had a terrific season in France. Continuing to play, not as consistently as I had, but still managing to play at times. After 2010, I never played for England again.
“It was quite miraculous when I traveled to America after that. Living in the sun made my knee about sixty to seventy percent. I could still play, but it’s not right now. It seemed miraculous. In retrospect, I believe I could have continued to play at the highest level for a little while longer if I had traveled abroad to somewhere warm, like Spain or Southern Italy.”
“In the end, I wasn’t the same player after that knee injury,” he continued. I had a long career, so that’s unfortunate. My main regret is that I could have spent five, six, or seven more years at Chelsea if I hadn’t injured my knee at Southend. However, I know there’s nothing I could have done about it. With the guys, I believe we would have won the Champions League in 2012.”
But you’re at a loss on what to do. At the age of seventeen, I began playing professional football in the Premier League and was promptly destroyed. I was basically an old automobile with a worn-out fan belt by the time I was 29! By the end, I had lost my knee and was driving a Ford Cortina!”
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