A few days ago, I wrote an article discussing the online betting for next season’s Premier League title. I found it puzzling that Liverpool were a significantly shorter price than Tottenham going on last season’s form, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding the future of their star players. Gerrard was to be joining Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid and Torres was also allegedly keen to move, that is if anyone is brave enough to risk millions of pounds on a player that looks to have serious issues if his World Cup performances are anything to go by.
I genuinely thought Joe Cole would end up at Tottenham this summer. If the internet and newspapers are to believed, Spurs offer of wages was the lowest of his suitors, and significantly lower than those Liverpool where willing to pay. The way I see it, Liverpool were willing to pay over the odds for a player like Joe Cole as a statement of intent. They are not in the Champions League currently, have appointed a very talented but arguably low profile manager and looked like a club in serious regression last season. Cole’s signing not only shows they are still able to attract players of world class
All this being said, I don’t think it’s the end of the world that Spurs missed out on Cole. We already have a wealth of talent in midfield and paying 100k a week or more for a player in his late 20s who has a very poor injury record probably wasn’t the right move for us in hindsight. I think he was a lot more important for Liverpool than he was for Tottenham.
Do I think Cole’s move to Liverpool will propel them to mount a challenge for the Premier League title this coming season? Not a chance. Do I think he will tip the balance in their favour over Spurs where the battle for a top 4 spot is concerned? I doubt it, but I fully expect them to be better than last season. The only problem for them is, Spurs will be too!
spurs will sign some quality players by the new season, but i feel our current squad is very good already, modric, will be better this season, we created so many chances for our forwards in the box, but we only took about 25% of them, we must be more ruthless in front of goal, we very much need 2 quality strikers who will be first to low crosses or high, because we always seemed to never have someone on the end of them, which was so infuriating, we need a good anticipating striker, and a quality defender, but lets look at our midfield, modric, huddlestone, krankjar, palacios, lennon, dos santos, rose, taarabt, ohara, livermore, not too shabby eh, injury prone , mercenary, joe cole , will be no loss.
I thought Cole would be going to Utd, because they are still relying on old boys Scholes, Giggs and on unlucky Hargreaves in midfield. Hodgson has attacking options of Torres, Kuyt, Gerrard, Cole, Maxi – on paper sounds good. Their mistake was letting Alonso go, big mistake Rafa…
I agree with Tony, letting Alonso go ruined Liverpool, he was by far their best player.
Spurs will do just fine without Cole sitting in the stands injured.
Cole is a fantastic player, but not the player we need to take us to the next level. That player is some one like Lampard. Harry, have a word with your nephew, will you.
Joes Cole is one of England’s best players on his day if not the best. It is disappointing that we didn’t sign him as Harry said we need to sign some special players to take us to a new level and he is such a player without a big price tag (even at 100k p/wk it would still cost more sign someone that good transfer fee & half the wages etc). Still we have Dos Santos who was runner up young player of the World Cup – an amazing player. Harry should give him a chance & stop dicking around with favouritism. If he goes elsewhere spurs fans will only be able to reflect on what could have been. I bet Ferguson won’t let Javier Hernandez go the same way.
On the Liverpool issue I expect them to be a team to beat – brilliant squad, massive club, now with a 1st rate manager who won’t sign an average of 40+ randoms per season, play people out of position or tinker.