Joe Cole has hit the tabloid internet headlines for comments he made about ‘wishing he hadn’t joined Liverpool’. In reality, the truth isn’t as cut and dried.
Cole was one of the most talented English players of his generation, and it was a strong bunch to pick from. However, his time at Liverpool was spent past his peak.
Chatting to John Obi Mikel on the Nigerian’s podcast, he spoke openly about his 2010 Chelsea exit and explained why he would “probably” wouldn’t joined Liverpool with hindsight.
During his 18 months playing for the Reds, Cole suffered from a recurring knee problem and made just 42 total appearances, scoring only five goals.
Now, Cole has admitted he wouldn’t have joined Liverpool if he could choose again. However, there is a good reason for why that is hard to criticise him.
On The Obi One Podcast: “If I could have my time again, I would probably go, ‘no, you know what, wait’. And I’d have gone abroad somewhere hot.”
Verbalising his thought process, he explained: “I had a choice between Liverpool or Spurs because Arsenal pulled out and I just couldn’t go to Spurs, I just couldn’t go.
“It would have made sense, Harry Redknapp was the manager, they had a good team, I lived in London, [but] half my pals are Spurs fans – I just couldn’t do it.
“My daughter was just born and Liverpool is a great club. It didn’t work for me there but it is a fantastic club, an institution globally
But, if I could have my time again, I would probably go, ‘no, you know what, wait’. And I’d have gone abroad, somewhere hot, because playing in the heat actually helped my knee.”
Cole was referring to his recurring knee injuries that blighted much of his career.
In reality, he did pick Liverpool but his time on Merseyside didn’t really go to plan. As a 28-year-old, he joined on a free transfer under Roy Hodgson, but the manager was gone by the following January.
Cole didn’t last a great deal longer, making his final Liverpool appearance less than a year later in a 3-1 loss away at Stoke.
He was a fantastic player in his early days, unfortunately often playing against Liverpool, but these latest comments weren’t made out of disrespect for Liverpool or the club’s supporters.
It’s a shame that when a footballer speaks honestly and candidly, their words are twisted and used as hyperbole in mainstream and social media.
