In the midst of a relatively quiet transfer market this summer, Joe Cole’s arrival at Anfield offered an interesting alternative to the mourning of England’s struggles in South Africa – one which the player hopes will finally see his genius unlocked.
His time at a Chelsea side winning titles concealed the fact he was being wasted by then manager Jose Mourinho who simply did not have faith in Cole to let his incredible vision, touch and creativity flourish but he will now believe Roy Hodgson can succeed where all others have failed.
For is it not what the 28 year old has always needed? A manager who says “Go on Joe, play your natural game” as opposed to turning him into a hard-working left midfielder. I for one believe Cole’s career holds the answer that will undoubtedly be searched for all summer long by the FA after England’s failings were exposed.
That answer is the ignorance shown towards the spark and ingenuity of a player like Cole rather than embracing such a talent.
English football refuses to cherish creativity and instead takes players to task on their failure to track back by turning them into something far too conventional.
However, if Roy Hodgson uses Cole in the correct manner, in a move which needs to work for both the new manager and a club trying to restore calm, then we may see the suspicion that has clouded his previous managers judgement cast aside.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Cole said: “I’m looking forward to it, I can’t wait for the first game. It’s always been a great atmosphere here and it will be nice to have the fans behind me. I just feel I have done the right thing and I am very happy here.”
And perhaps his happiness will be telling on the pitch where he hopes to alleviate the fears which imprisoned the freedom he craved at his former clubs.
It seems that Cole will enjoy the pressure that playing for such a great club brings as he and Steven Gerrard look to induce goals from Spaniard Fernando Torres.
The chance to prove himself away from London under the guidance of Hodgson will certainly surpass the pressure put on him to produce in a red shirt as he has surely grown tired of the doubt previous managers have cast upon his career.