Ex-Chelsea Star Admits He Regrets Leaving Stamford Bridge
- Joe Cole swapped Chelsea for Liverpool in the summer of 2010 shortly after winning the Premier League with the Blues
- At the time, many, especially within Anfield circles contended the transfer was as an excellent piece of business by the Reds
- However, the ex-attacking midfielder failed to hit the ground running at the Merseyside club, with his stint punctuated with injuries
- He would later be sent to Lille on loan, before he sealed a move to West Ham United after making just 26 appearances at Anfield
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Joe Cole has revealed his regret at swapping Chelsea for Premier League rivals Liverpool.
Source: Getty Images
Cole left Stamford Bridge left the Blues on a free transfer in 2010 after an illustrious career with the West Londoners that saw him win three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup.
At the time, the Englishman had a choice of three clubs to choose from including West Ham United and Chelsea's arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur.
However, after assessing his options, Cole opted to complete a switch to Anfield
Asked if he would still sign for the Reds if he could go back in time, the former midfielder told the Premier League he would not consider such a move.
Despite the fanfare that surrounded his arrival, the 39-year-old did not enjoy an impressive campaign with the Merseyside outfit, with injuries taking a huge toll on him.
Speaking on his disappointing spell with Liverpool, Cole alluded to change of ownership and the departure of then manager Roy Hodgson among the reasons why he failed to live up to his billing.
“At the risk of upsetting Liverpool fans any more than they’re upset with me already, I probably wouldn’t. But not for any fault of the club or because I didn’t like the club or anything. I signed for the previous owners and then they sold the club four or five weeks later," he said.
Cole further admitted it was a difficult decision for him to quit the Blues, adding he would not have traded his loyalty for the club for any amount of money should Carlo Ancelotti have played him the last two games of his final days at Stamford Bridge.
"I think if [Carlo Ancelotti] had played me in the last two games of the season, I would have stayed. I’d have taken any money they’d have given me because I didn’t want to leave. It was hard for me to leave the club at the time. It was difficult," he conceded.
Earlier, Legit.ng had reported how Spanish professional footballer Alvaro Morata who currently plays for Juventus explained how difficult life was for him during his spell in the Premier League with Chelsea.
The 28-year-old striker made it clear that he came close to suffering from depression at Stamford Bridge before he made a move away from the Premier League giants.
During the summer of 2017, Chelsea chiefs paid Real Madrid £58 million for the signature of Alvaro Morata beating rivals Manchester United for the signing.
Source: Legit.ng
Ibitoye Shittu Ibitoye Shittu is an award-winning Sports Journalist with more than 10 years of experience in News-writing, reporting and Public Relations. He is a B.SC holder in Mass Communication and can be reached on Twitter @ibishittu
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