Joe Cole stayed true to Chelsea at Liverpool – Eden Hazard is one proof
The whole world knows Chelsea FC made a fatal error in selling Mohamed Salah to Roma in 2016, and don’t they love telling us. But ex-Blues who make their way to Liverpool can have very positive effects on the club, such as Joe Cole’s role in Eden Hazard’s transfer.
His arrival back in the Premier League with Liverpool leaves a nasty taste in the mouth for Chelsea fans. But whoever was responsible for that decision did what they thought was best at that given moment with the information they had.
History is full of organisations who made – in hindsight – bad decisions. In a tenuous link, west London-based Decca Records balked at signing The Beatles in 1962, saying ‘guitar groups’ like the Liverpool based beat combo, ‘are on the way out’. Thankfully, social media was not around then to lay that one at Chelsea’s door.
For two teams that have developed such an intense rivalry in recent years, the exchange of bloodstock between the clubs has been significant. Egyptians aside, recent times have seen Fernando Torres, Victor Moses, Daniel Sturridge, Raul Meireles, Yossi Benayoun, Glen Johnson, Nicolas Anelka and Bolo Zenden all wear both red and Blue to varying degrees of success.
Someone else who featured for both teams during his career was Joe Cole. Chelsea signed Cole from West Ham United in 2003: Roman Abramovich’s sixth signing following his acquisition of the club. Then-manager Claudio Ranieri saw Cole as an ideal replacement for Gianfranco Zola, who had left the club at the end of the season as he looked to finish his career back in Italy.
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Cole made his Premier League debut for Chelsea in a 2-1 win over the Reds at Anfield. It was a 20-minute cameo from the bench. He quickly formed a relationship with the Chelsea faithful that lived on long after he left the club. He was combative in midfield and creative going forward. He had a work ethos fans love. For some reason, the next man in the Chelsea hot seat didn’t always see that.
Jose Mourinho joined Chelsea as manager the following season. Like Juan Mata after him, Cole was seen as a luxury player by the Portuguese one. Mourinho tried to integrate the England international into his methodology, and at times it worked, but ultimately Mourinho stifled Cole’s creative side.
Cole left Chelsea for Liverpool in 2010 on a free transfer after the club and player were unable to agree on a new deal. As Cole later revealed in an interview with Chelsea fanzine cfcuk, his arrival at Liverpool was the lesser of two evils. With an offer on the table from Tottenham, Cole just couldn’t see himself pulling on a Lilywhite shirt and opted for the move north.
"Spurs was probably the best option because they were offering me a five-year deal and it meant I could stay in familiar surroundings. But I just couldn’t do it, I just couldn’t see myself pulling that Spurs shirt over my head. With the rivalry between Spurs and West Ham and Chelsea, it felt a bit mercenary. – Daily Mail"
As it turned out Cole couldn’t settle on Merseyside and, in the same interview, admitted the move was a mistake. He revealed he could only play for clubs he was passionate about and Liverpool simply didn’t float his boat. His first season at Anfield did not go to plan as it was hampered by injury and managerial turmoil.
Roy Hodgson arrived in the summer of 2010. He only lasted until January the following year, when supporters effectively ousted him. Brendan Rodgers, ex-Chelsea coach, came next and curtailed Cole’s career further, consigning him to appearances from the bench on the rare occasions he actually made the squad. Charly Musonda, Jr., is currently experiencing similar problems under Rodgers at Celtic.
Liverpool then did Chelsea a big favour. They sent Cole on loan to Lille in northern France. There, he joined a team that included a young Belgian named Eden Hazard. Chelsea had an interest in the player and, as Cole later revealed, his old club wasted no time in contacting him for a scouting report.
Cole’s glowing report helped seal the deal that took Hazard to London in the summer of 2012. So whilst Liverpool fans can gloat over Salah, let’s not forget the crucial role the Reds played in Hazard’s arrival at Chelsea. Without Cole’s failed loan move to Anfield and subsequent move to France, Hazard could already be in Madrid.
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As Cole dreams of rejoining Chelsea in the near future in a coaching role, at 36 years old he’s still playing the game he loved at Chelsea. Now in the USA, he features in the United Soccer League for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Having been made captain, it seems he’s feeling the love the sunshine state has to offer, which can only bode well.