Joe Cole returned from holiday last night with the
taunts of Carlo Ancelotti ringing in his ears that he had quit
Chelsea for financial reasons.
The England international is expected to make a decision on his
future in the next 48 hours, with Liverpool favourites to secure
his signature.
Bookmakers yesterday suspended betting on Cole’s next
destination as Anfield boss Roy Hodgson confirmed he had held talks
with the playmaker, though sources close to the player have denied
any deal has been struck.
There is no doubt Cole’s arrival on Merseyside would give
Liverpool a huge boost. Hodgson confirmed initial talks had taken
place, saying: ‘I’m not a betting man so it doesn’t even register
with me that betting has been suspended.
‘I know we have been connected with him and it is good
to know that we are connected with players of that quality but I
don’t have anything further to report on the subject.
‘I haven’t had any discussions with him. Managing director
Christian Purslow is the man looking after the transfers, not
me.’
The offer by the Anfield club, though, is not the largest on the
table. The £4.5million-a-year package is £700,000 a year short of
that on offer at West Ham.
West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has always been reluctant to
shell out huge sums on transfer fees, although he is less reticent
about players’ salaries.
Spurs and Arsenal are also not out of the running and a switch
to either would enable Cole to maintain an interest in Champions
League football and not cause any major domestic upheaval.
But the Hammers now look a distant fourth in the running and the
midfielder seems set to make a mockery of Ancelotti’s barbs and
rebuff the highest offer to advance his career.
Ancelotti also claimed that he is no rush to add Liverpool’s
Fernando Torres to his squad, saying he has sufficient firepower at
his disposal without having to break the bank to land the
Spaniard.
Meanwhile, Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has still not
responded to a voicemail left by Hodgson last week, which adds to
speculation that he might be leaving to join Inter Milan.
The England star has been offered £90,000 per week for three
years - over £13million in total.