Costly: Cole is still paid by Liverpool
Liverpool are
continuing to pay £500,000 a month to keep two of the premier
signings made during the Roy Hodgson era away from
Anfield.
The Merseysiders are still meeting the majority of the
bloated wages awarded to Joe Cole and Christian Poulsen, even
though both players are on loan in France.
Liverpool are paying £70,000 of Cole's £105,000 weekly
wage as he rebuilds his career with Lille.
And they are letting Denmark's Poulsen play for Evian this
season, with the French club contributing only £15,000 of his
£65,000-a-week deal.
The deals mean Liverpool will pay £6million-plus on the
two players' salaries over the course of the season, which hampers
Kenny Dalglish's activities in the January transfer
window.
He is interested in a number of players but may have to
sell the likes of Dirk Kuyt, a target for Galatasaray, to finance
any moves.
Cole was signed in the summer of 2010 by Liverpool's
former managing director Christian Purslow to try to earn the club
some positive publicity during a troubled time under owners Tom
Hicks and George Gillett.
But the move backfired as Cole was sent off on his debut
against Arsenal and proved unable to win a regular first-team place
under Hodgson or Dalglish.
Still paying: Liverpool having to cough up for
Christian Poulsen
New owner John W Henry spent £100m on new players in 2011
but aims to be more cautious.