Liverpool Transfer News: Joe Cole Gets One More Shot at Resurrection with Lille
Kenny Dalglish is a benevolent man. Actually, Liverpool just needed to clear some space ahead of the looming deadline. That now leaves Joe Cole with one last shot to revive a barely living career.
The frantic pace of deadline day was in full glory on Wednesday. One of the more interesting notes saw out-of-favor Liverpool player Joe Cole sent to Lille.
It was rumored that Cole could have been sent to Aston Villa, but opted for French defending champs, Lille. Liverpool agreed to pay 60 percent of Cole's exorbitant fee while on loan with the French side for the year.
This move is great for both team and player. Cole left Chelsea as his career was starting to flat line. At Anfield, it damn near died completely.
Heading into the season, there was little hope for Cole to crack the first squad, even in their most unheralded of fixtures. With writing firmly affixed to wall, Cole was going to have to land somewhere to get quality minutes.
This is the last stop for an aging midfielder who counts himself as the only person believes he has quality ball left. Yet he was thankful for his time at Anfield, well aware that a return is not out of the question:
""I’m glad the move has been completed and I’m looking forward to a different challenge. The support I received from everyone at Liverpool was great and it was a huge honour to have a chance to play at Anfield but things just didn’t work out as I hoped unfortunately.""
The best part of his move is the prospect of playing in the Champions League. Heroics on that stage will spark the interest of everyone in Europe, most importantly, Kenny Dalglish.
If this stint is highly successful, Cole may one day be back at Anfield not as a second-class footballer, but as a first-team asset.
That would be the perfect ending to his career, and one that he deserves.
