Joe Cole’s Big Regret: Why the ex-Chelsea star now thinks Liverpool wasn’t the move

Few footballers turn down the chance to pull on Liverpool red, but Joe Cole has laid it bare: for all his Premier League medals, he wishes he’d chosen a different path in 2010. The ex-Chelsea schemer has reflected on his Anfield stint and, with the benefit of hindsight, says he’d have been better served taking his talents abroad.

Context: Liverpool’s new era vs the 2010 reality

Liverpool today are back among the heavyweights. Jurgen Klopp ended the 30-year wait for a league title in 2020, and Arne Slot has since kept the standards sky-high—so much so that a title in his debut campaign set off a summer of audacity in the market. The club shattered the British transfer record twice, landing Florian Wirtz for around £116m after he swerved Bayern, and prising Alexander Isak for roughly £125m after he pushed for the move from Newcastle. That’s the modern Liverpool pull.

Free transfer, big expectations

Back in 2010, though, the picture was very different. Cole arrived on a free at 28, fresh from seven trophy-laden years at Chelsea where he lifted the Premier League three times. Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool had just finished seventh, and the hope was that Cole’s flair would light up Anfield.

A false start and fitness frustration

Instead, the tone was set badly. Cole’s league debut ended with a red card against Arsenal and a three-match ban. Thereafter the rhythm never truly came: injuries mounted and form wavered. He finished that league season with two goals and one assist from 20 appearances, and—according to Transfermarkt—missed roughly 26 games through injury during his Liverpool stay.

French reset at Lille

A loan to Lille the following season brought a hint of the old magic. Stationed alongside the electric Eden Hazard, Cole looked liberated again, chalking up nine goals and six assists across 46 matches in all competitions. It was the breath of fresh air he’d been chasing.

What he says now

Speaking to The Boot Room, Cole reflected that, given another go, he’d have opted for a stint overseas rather than Anfield. Not a dig at Liverpool, he stressed, but a case of the right player at the wrong time for a club in flux. He genuinely fancied the move back then—he just fell foul of timing, niggles, and momentum.

Back to West Ham and the final chapters

After a bit-part return post-Lille, Cole departed permanently in early 2013 to rejoin West Ham. Cameos at Aston Villa and Coventry City followed before he drew the curtain on his career in the United States with Tampa Bay Rowdies in December 2018.

Pundit’s verdict

Cole’s candid admission is a reminder that fit and timing can define a career as much as talent. At Chelsea he was a serial winner and a crowd-pleaser. At Liverpool, circumstance clipped his wings. No shame in that—just a lesson in how quickly fortunes can flip at the elite end of the game.

For more football insight, odds chat and offers, have a look at our best betting sites.