Joe Cole is set to return to West Ham, as Sam Allardyce
beats QPR boss Harry Redknapp to the
signing of the Liverpool misfit.
Hammers boss Allardyce moved in yesterday with a last ditch
offer to re-sign Cole permanently, ahead of Queens Park
Rangers.
Key to the whole deal is an
amazing £3million ‘golden goodbye’ from Liverpool, to offset the
drop in Cole’s salary from £120,000 to £50,000 a week.
Although that £3m represents only six months of the 18 left on
Cole’s Anfield contract, the 31-year-old will get the security of a
three-year deal – as well as the chance to resurrect his career at
his boyhood club.
Former Chelsea star Cole has struggled at Anfield and was loaned
to Lille last season, but now Allardyce hopes to have his move tied
up in time for him to face Manchester United in the FA Cup this
weekend.
Cole was given his debut at 17 by Redknapp, who was hoping their
relationship would help ease a move to QPR.
However, the spectre of relegation made a deal difficult to do
and Cole has never hidden his affection for West Ham, the club he
left for Chelsea in 2003 but has always remained on good terms with
Hammers fans.
Cole was groomed in the youth ranks at Upton Park and played 126
games for them before joining Chelsea for £6.5m in 2003.
And Nicolas Anelka has priced himself out of a move to Upton
Park after demanding £100,000 a week for a six-month stay.
Anelka, 33, is sulking at China’s Shanghai Shenhua after a
series of bust-ups.
Hammers boss Sam Allardyce admitted after Tuesday’s 2-1 win over
Norwich he “loved the player”.
But he added: “The finances are a problem. We can only do what
the owners can afford.”