Liverpool have signed former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole on a
free transfer.
The 28-year-old England international left Stamford Bridge at
the end of last season after failing to agree a new contract with
the Barclays Premier League champions.
Cole and has agreed terms on a four-year deal believed to be
worth nearly £90,000 a week at Anfield and he will undergo a
medical in the next 48 hours.
Blue Monday: Cole has joined Liverpool after
quitting Chelsea
The England midfielder received offers from Arsenal and
Tottenham, and also attracted interest from Manchester United only
for his wage demands to scupper a move to Old Trafford.
Teams in Italy were also linked, but after turning down the
chance to play Champions League football, he has instead chosen to
join new Reds boss Roy Hodgson at Anfield.
The capture of Cole was seen as being a key factor in proving to
the likes of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres that Liverpool can
still compete for quality signings.
Cole is the second summer arrival at Liverpool after Serbia
forward Milan Jovanovic joined following the expiration of his
contract with Standard Liege.
Ordinary Joe: Cole struggled to make an impact with
England at the World Cup
Cole will be seen as a direct replacement for Yossi Benayoun,
who moved to Chelsea for £5.5million earlier this month, and only
time will tell who got the better of that exchange.
Hodgson is still on the look-out for a new left-back with
Emiliano Insua on the verge of completing his move to Fiorentina
and Fabio Aurelio already released.
After that the Liverpool boss will hope to secure commitments
from Gerrard and Torres about their futures.
Recruit: Jovanovic signs on at Liverpool
Former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp, whose father Harry
was keen on signing Cole for Spurs, said reports the player was
holding out for the most lucrative contract were unfair.
'From what I know, compared to other players in the Premier
League now, he's not being greedy at all,' Redknapp told Sky Sports
News.
'He just wants a good deal and rightfully so - he's a free agent
and he's worked that situation nicely - but I know he's not asking
for anything astronomical, like what is being portrayed in the
press.
'He's just looking for the right club and he needs to play
football now. He missed a lot of time at Chelsea last season with
his knee injury and didn't quite get back to the level he showed
previously.
'He needs to go somewhere, be loved, and play football and get
back to being the Joe Cole we all know.'
