Former Chelsea and Liverpool winger Joe Cole has admitted that he regrets moving to Anfield in 2009.
During Joe Cole’s time at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, the English winger looked to be one of the most talented players coming through and he was a key man under the Portuguese enigma.
The former England international suffered a serious knee injury away at Southend United in the FA Cup in January 2009, with the now 42-year-old pinpointing it as a turning point in his career.
This really was the beginning of the end for his time at his boyhood club Chelsea with the Englishman leaving Stamford Bridge 18 months later.
Cole on Liverpool regret
Liverpool signed the English winger on a free transfer despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur but Cole, who was signed by Roy Hodgson, went on to make just 42 appearances for the Reds and scored five goals and provided four assists before he joined French side LOSC Lille on loan.
He then joined West Ham United and the Englishman has opened up about his regrets over signing for Liverpool when he spoke on the Obi One podcast with John Obi Mikel.
“I had a choice between Liverpool or Spurs because Arsenal pulled out and I just couldn’t go to Spurs,” he said. “I just couldn’t go (to Spurs)
“It would have made sense, Harry Redknapp was the manager, they had a good team, I lived in London, 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’s regret
The knee problem he suffered cut short his time at Chelsea despite then manager Carlo Ancelotti, who is now in charge at Real Madrid, being a fan of Cole.
When asked if he had any regrets about when he decided to leave Chelsea, one moment in particular sticks out to Cole.
“The only regret I have, and it’s nothing I could do anything about, I think to myself if I hadn’t done my knee at Southend, and I could have had another five, six or seven years at Chelsea, I think I would have won the Champions League with the lads in 2012,” he said.
Ultimately, Cole retired in 2018 and is now a pundit on TNT Sports and Amazon Prime.
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