I wish I hadn’t signed for Liverpool – I only joined them because I was wrecked

I wish I hadn’t signed for Liverpool – I only joined them because I was wrecked

Joe Cole has revealed all about leaving Chelsea in 2010 and why he wouldn’t have chosen to join Liverpool if he had his time again

SHARE
57
Bookmark

Former England International Joe Cole ahead of the UEFA EURO 2024 European qualifier match between England and Malta at Wembley Stadium
Follow the latest transfer news and more with our LFC newsletter

Subscribe
More Newsletters
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info
Joe Cole has admitted he wouldn’t join Liverpool if he had his time again – and only left Chelsea because he knew he was on the decline as a player.

The former England international suffered a serious knee injury away at Southend United in the FA Cup in January 2009, with the now 42-year-old pinpointing it out as a turning point in his career. A boyhood Chelsea fan, he would leave the club at the end of his contract 18 months later.

Liverpool would see off competition from Tottenham Hotspur to land the playmaker on a Bosman transfer as he became one of Roy Hodgson’s first signings at the club. However, unveiled alongside would-be flops Milan Jovanovic and Danny Wilson, his time at the club was not a success.

Cole would only make 42 appearances during his time with the Reds, registering five goals and four assists. Falling out of favour under Sir Kenny Dalglish, he was loaned to Lille after his disappointing first season at the club but would return under Brendan Rodgers.

READ MORE: Sven-Goran Eriksson responds to Liverpool appeal to grant former England manager his dying wish

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp ruthlessly ended Liverpool player’s career after ‘worst game in memory’ prompted transformation

MOST READ
1
Alisson Becker snub cannot disguise obvious truth about Liverpool goalkeeper
2
Liverpool transfer news recap – Kylian Mbappe response, Jordan Henderson deal, Rayan Ait-Nouri interest
3
I left Liverpool to join Real Madrid after transfer decision I couldn’t understand
But that didn’t stop him from being allowed to join West Ham United on a free transfer just six months later in January 2013, despite having another 18 months left on his contract.

Cole admits he would have preferred to stay put at Chelsea, but, realising he was no longer the same player after injury, thought it best to leave Stamford Bridge when making his move to Liverpool.

“(Contract) negotiations started and we were getting there, but then I done my knee,” he recalled when appearing on former team-mate John Obi Mikel’s ‘The Obi One’ podcast. “I was nearly 29 or just turned 29 (when I left).

“I done my knee and that was probably the start of the end of my career because I was never the same player after that. I done everything, ACL, PCL, MCL, and I was out for 11 months.

“It hurt me but in hindsight, Chelsea were right, from a business perspective. They stopped the negotiations to see how I was when I came back… so from being in a really strong position to negotiate a contract, doing my knee, Chelsea pulled back from negotiations.

“Then I come back in October time. By this time, Carlo (Ancelotti) had come into the club… I was coming in off the bench, playing well, but it was hard to break back into the team.

“The guys went away to the Africa Cup of Nations in the January. I knew I’d have a chance to play regularly. I played every game, six, seven or eight games in a row, played really well and then they started, ‘We can offer you this new contract.’ It wasn’t at what it was before.

“My ego got involved a little bit and football was more of a struggle. I would play, knee would blow up. I couldn’t do certain things that I used to be able to do. I needed an ice pack (after every game on my knee), I was in a lot of pain… it’s very rare you get back to where you were…

“And then they stopped the negotiations. But Carlo actually wanted me to stay. I believe Carlo because he’s a good, decent human. He said, ‘I want to play you but Kalou and Malouda are playing so well.’

DON’T MISS
Liverpool must agree three marquee deals to avoid anxious transfer wait
I enjoyed kicking Liverpool flop – he was my worst ever team-mate
B&Q praised for £20 heater that costs 36p to run and heats rooms ‘instantly’ as snow falls
“I’m sensible enough to know that they’re playing well. I don’t knock on the manager’s door if they’re not. But I was playing well when I played as well, that’s why we won the double. Everyone was doing their bit…”

He continued: “It got to the end of the season… my body was just failing me… it was a title-decider up at Old Trafford and I started. We had to win the game, we couldn’t draw otherwise we’d lose the league, and I pulled my back right in the last two minutes (of training)…

“I scored… We won the game but I don’t think I could train for three or four days afterwards. I really wrecked myself. That’s how my body was after it.

“Something subconsciously clicked and I thought to myself, ‘I’m never going to get (back) to the player I was. I’ve got to leave.’ Because I don’t want to finish my Chelsea career, just sitting there on the injury table.”

Reflecting on his move to Liverpool, Cole revealed why he ultimately chose to move to Anfield. But in hindsight, he admitted he wished he had move abroad instead.

“I had a choice between Liverpool or Spurs because Arsenal pulled out and I just couldn’t go to Spurs,” he said. “I just couldn’t go.

“It would have made sense, Harry Redknapp was the manager, they had a good team, I lived in London, half my pals are Spurs fans. I just couldn’t do it.

“My daughter was just born and Liverpool is a great club. It didn’t work for me there but it is a fantastic club, an institution globally.

“But if I could have my time again, I would probably go, ‘No, you know what, wait.’ And I’d have gone abroad, somewhere hot, because playing in the heat actually helped my knee.

“Because after that I went to Liverpool, West Ham, Villa. I had a good season in France, but with my knee, I was just managing my injuries. Managing to still play, play well sometimes but never really consistently like I had been. I never played for England again after 2010.

“Then when I went to America, it was like a miracle. Living in the sun, my knee was like 60-70%. It’s still not right now but I could still play. It was like a miracle.

“If I could have hindsight, I would have gone abroad somewhere hot, maybe Spain or Southern Italy somewhere, and I think I could have played at the top level for a little bit longer.”

He continued: “Ultimately, I wasn’t the same player after that knee injury. That’s sad but I had a long career…

“The only regret I have, and it’s nothing I could do anything about, I think to myself, if I hadn’t done my knee at Southend, and I could have had another five, six or seven years at Chelsea, I think I would have won the Champions League with the lads in 2012.

“But there’s nothing you can do about it. I started playing professional football in the Premier League at 17, and got smashed to bits. By the time I was 29, I was just an old car and the fan belt had run out! The knee was gone, I was a Ford Cortina by the end!”

READ NEXT:

Alisson Becker snub cannot disguise obvious truth about Liverpool goalkeeper
Liverpool transfer news recap – Kylian Mbappe response, Jordan Henderson deal, Rayan Ait-Nouri interest
B&Q praised for £20 heater that costs 36p to run and heats rooms ‘instantly’ as snow falls
Shoppers loving £8.99 Amazon product that keeps hands warm for hours
I left Liverpool to join Real Madrid after transfer decision I couldn’t understand
Follow Liverpool Echo
Facebook
Twitter
Comment
MORE ON
Liverpool FC
Up Next

Alisson Becker snub cannot disguise obvious truth about Liverpool goalkeeper
SPORT
ALL
TOP STORIES
30 photos show the final days at these lost Merseyside factories
HISTORY
Pub that offers regulars more than just a pint
LIVERPOOL PUBS
Met Office weather map shows when Merseyside can expect more snow this week
WEATHER
Police search wasteland by torchlight before man arrested at property
CRIME
Howard Webb admits Liverpool mistake on controversial Martin Odegaard Arsenal incident
LIVERPOOL FC
Everton FFP breach LIVE – Points deduction threat, club appeal latest, Richard Masters speaks
EVERTON FC
Liverpool transfer news LIVE – Kylian Mbappe response, Levi Colwill move, Trent Alexander-Arnold contract
LIVERPOOL FC
Heavy snow falls across Merseyside – live updates
WEATHER
Live updates as block of flats evacuated over reported gas leak
HUYTON
Council could be asked to reconsider offloading leisure centres
LIVERPOOL COUNCIL
Woman ‘not the same person’ after man raped her
CRIME
Man can’t step foot on street otherwise he will go straight to jail
CRIME
NEWS
WHAT’S ON
SPORT
IN YOUR AREA
LIVERPOOL FC
EVERTON FC
CELEBS
BUSINESS
FOLLOW US
InYourArea
mynewsassistant
Discount Codes
Beauty Box Subscription
Marketplace
Our RSS feeds
Contact Us
About Us
Work for us
Advertise with us
Public Notices
Mirror Bingo
Buy a photo
How to Complain
Corrections & Clarifications
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Notice
Cookie Notice
Newsletters Signup
Syndication & Licensing
Do not sell or share my data
© 2024 a Reach plc subsidiary

liverpoolechoLoad mobile navigation

BUY A PAPER
FUNERAL NOTICES
JOBS
VOUCHER CODES
PROPERTY
DIRECTORY
ADVERTISE WITH US
REACHSPORTSHOP
BOOK AN AD
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
I left Liverpool to join Real Madrid after transfer decision I couldn’t understand
It was overshadowed by another big departure – but the transfer of Alvaro Arbeloa, who turns 41 today, hurt Liverpool and Rafa Benitez

SHARE
ByJoe RimmerHead of Football
03:00, 17 JAN 2024
Bookmark

Alvaro Arbeloa attends a press conference at Anfield ahead of his return to the stadium for Real Madrid’s Champions League group B clash with Liverpool in October 2014 (Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

It was summer 2009 and, having gone as close as ever to landing their first Premier League title, Liverpool were facing up to a key departure.

One of their key Spanish players was desperate to return to his homeland and join Real Madrid. Indeed, six days before Xabi Alonso followed, Alvaro Arbeloa completed his medical and rubber stamped his move to Real.

Liverpool received a fee of around £3.5m for the experienced defender. In truth, Arbeloa’s departure was overshadowed by that of Alonso’s less than a week later, but his exit was, like that of his team-mate, a huge factor in the Reds’ subsequent slide down the Premier League table.

Rafa Benitez’s side had pushed Manchester United all the way in 2008/09, losing just twice all season and collecting 86 points to finish four behind their bitter rivals. Liverpool had scored a league-high total of 77 goals, nine more than United or Chelsea had managed, but had displayed excellent defensive balance by conceding just 27 – just three more than the two aforementioned teams and their best defensive effort up until the season just gone.

READ MORE: I wish I hadn’t signed for Liverpool – I only joined them because I was wrecked

READ MORE: I wasn’t upset when Brendan Rodgers got sacked because he didn’t know how to use me for Liverpool

MOST READ
1
Liverpool must agree three marquee deals to avoid anxious transfer wait
2
I wish I hadn’t signed for Liverpool – I only joined them because I was wrecked
3
Alisson Becker snub cannot disguise obvious truth about Liverpool goalkeeper
Arbeloa had been a huge part of that. The Spanish international, who turns 41 today, had been a quiet presence in Liverpool’s backline – aside from one on-pitch argument with Jamie Carragher during a game at West Brom – coming in to little fanfare from Deportivo in 2007.

It wasn’t a move he expected, later admitting that the call from the Reds came completely out the blue. But he certainly didn’t anticipate he’d be marking Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp in just his second outing for the club.

That he did, and he helped Liverpool to a famous 2-1 victory and, ultimately, all the way to the final. It was an impressive start for the defender, who had played centrally in Spain but quickly became a right full-back for Benitez.

Arbeloa would make 41 appearances the following season and then 43 in his final campaign for Liverpool. So eyebrows were raised when Benitez moved quickly to spend £17.5m on Portsmouth right-back Glen Johnson, essentially paving the way for Arbeloa’s exit.

Johnson, a decent player in his own right, was seen as a more attacking option and somebody who could add a new dimension to Liverpool’s team. And Benitez admitted that Johnson, who had turned down Manchester City and a return to Chelsea, arriving could spell the end for Arbeloa, who had just a year left on his contract at that time.

“We were thinking about bringing in players with quality – that’s the first thing,” Benitez said. “He is also English and that is important for the Champions League list. We were thinking about improving the team and Johnson is a very good player who will do that.”

Benitez added: “Arbeloa was a good player for us last year. The thing is, he has one year left on his contract. We have offered him an extension and we’re talking.

“He is our player but if there is a good offer we have to consider it. We have two or three clubs asking about him. He would like to stay but he knows the competition will be hard.”

Speaking in 2014, Arbeloa admitted that Johnson’s arrival all but confirmed his desire to leave. “You think: ‘We’ve nearly won the league and the first thing you do is buy a £20m right-back?’,” Arbeloa recalled.

DON’T MISS
Robbie Keane gives blunt Darwin Nunez assessment with Liverpool title prediction
Gary Neville has a Liverpool blind spot and needs to get a grip – for his own sake
B&Q praised for £20 heater that costs 36p to run and heats rooms ‘instantly’ as snow falls
“I said: ‘Listen, thanks for everything’. He (Benitez) couldn’t say I had to stay. He had a right-back and I had a call from Madrid.”

In truth, Liverpool may have lost Arbeloa for nothing the following year had they not cashed in. But a fee of £3.5m – potentially rising to £5m – didn’t seem to reflect his importance to the team.

And to change his defence up so drastically – especially at a time when the Reds were struggling to find a regular and reliable right back – was so unlike Benitez. It was a gamble the Champions League-winning manager was prepared to take to break Liverpool’s Premier League duck, but perhaps Arbeloa’s influenced was overlooked by some.

He would go on to win everything there is at Madrid, lifting La Liga, the Copa Del Rey, two Champions League titles and the Club World Cup, as well as the World Cup and another European Championship with Spain.

Liverpool, meanwhile, slipped to seventh in the Premier League, conceding 36 goals and losing 11 games in a season which ultimately cost Benitez his job.

A poor transfer window – Benitez had replaced Alonso with Alberto Aquilani – as well as infighting at board level, had derailed the Reds. Johnson would go on to play 200 games for Liverpool – double that of Arbeloa, who is currently the manager of Real Madrid under-19s team – and served the club well, but it’s doubtful many fans would look back on the Englishman as fondly as the Spaniard.

This article was originally published in July 2019.

READ NEXT:

Liverpool must agree three marquee deals to avoid anxious transfer wait
I wish I hadn’t signed for Liverpool – I only joined them because I was wrecked
B&Q praised for £20 heater that costs 36p to run and heats rooms ‘instantly’ as snow falls
Shoppers loving £8.99 Amazon product that keeps hands warm for hours
Alisson Becker snub cannot disguise obvious truth about Liverpool goalkeeper
Follow Liverpool Echo
Facebook
Twitter
Comment
Loading…
MORE ON
Liverpool FC
Up Next

Liverpool must agree three marquee deals to avoid anxious transfer wait
SPORT
ALL
TOP STORIES
30 photos show the final days at these lost Merseyside factories
HISTORY
Pub that offers regulars more than just a pint
LIVERPOOL PUBS
Met Office weather map shows when Merseyside can expect more snow this week
WEATHER
Police search wasteland by torchlight before man arrested at property
CRIME
Howard Webb admits Liverpool mistake on controversial Martin Odegaard Arsenal incident
LIVERPOOL FC
Everton FFP breach LIVE – Points deduction threat, club appeal latest, Richard Masters speaks
EVERTON FC
Liverpool transfer news LIVE – Kylian Mbappe response, Levi Colwill move, Trent Alexander-Arnold contract
LIVERPOOL FC
Heavy snow falls across Merseyside – live updates
WEATHER
Live updates as block of flats evacuated over reported gas leak
HUYTON
Council could be asked to reconsider offloading leisure centres
LIVERPOOL COUNCIL
Woman ‘not the same person’ after man raped her
CRIME
Man can’t step foot on street otherwise he will go straight to jail
CRIME
NEWS
WHAT’S ON
SPORT
IN YOUR AREA
LIVERPOOL FC
EVERTON FC
CELEBS
BUSINESS
FOLLOW US
InYourArea
mynewsassistant
Discount Codes
Beauty Box Subscription
Marketplace
Our RSS feeds
Contact Us
About Us
Work for us
Advertise with us
Public Notices
Mirror Bingo
Buy a photo
How to Complain
Corrections & Clarifications
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Notice
Cookie Notice
Newsletters Signup
Syndication & Licensing
Do not sell or share my data
© 2024 a Reach plc subsidiary