Revealed: How Joe Cole is already working his magic at Liverpool before he's even kicked a ball

By The Mole

Published 08:02 01/08/10

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Joe Cole has not made his Liverpool debut yet, but the England midfielder has already worked some magic for the club.

Cole admitted on his ­arrival from Chelsea this month that Steven Gerrard had convinced him to snub Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham to spend the next four years on Merseyside.

But it was a two-way conversation.

Within days, Gerrard had confirmed that he was as staying at Anfield.

And Cole, 28, said: “I hope that I did play a part in Stevie deciding to stay here.

“Every year the big clubs have come calling for him because he is a fantastic player, but at Liverpool this year it is about consolidating and moving on. There are players here who will get into any team in the world – and Stevie is one of those.

“Stevie and Jamie Carragher spoke to me a lot when I was deciding which club to join because they both know what I can do.

“We have played together for England for the last 10 years and one of the reasons I came to Liverpool was to play alongside Stevie week in week out.

“I hope to have a central role, with one of us going forward and the other pivoting, but the manager will use me how he sees fit and obviously he knows I can play left and right.”

Cole won a Premier League and FA Cup double with ­Chelsea last season – and scored a goal against ­Manchester United at Old Trafford late in the season that was pivotal in the outcome of the title race.

Yet he admits that he didn’t feel key to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad – prompting him to turn down a new contract at Stamford Bridge.

Cole said: “I played my part in Chelsea winning the Double. I scored a couple of important goals and had a lot of assists.

“But when we had won trophies before I’d been one of the focal points. It just wasn’t the same.

“People said to me that my goal won the title at Old Trafford, but I want to play every minute of every game.

“The fans at Chelsea loved me and I can’t thank them enough for that, but I need to feel loved when I am on the pitch. The manager has to want me there and I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder for the substitute board.

“I don’t need an arm round the shoulder, but I do need people to remember that in the positions I play you are going to lose the ball sometimes.

“You only need to do one thing right; one clever pass, one little bit of skill that can change a game.

“It can happen in the first minute or the last but there needs to be patience.

“The last 90 minutes I played was in February or March, so I need continuous games to build my strength and confidence.

“I will be working hard because I still feel there is more to come despite what I have achieved.

“I need to get myself match fit and then the quality will start to roll.

“I want to immerse myself in the club and its culture ­because I had that connection with Chelsea – I ­supported the club as a boy.

“I thrived on being there and I played the best football of my career there. I want to have that connection and that ­energy from Liverpool.”

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