With his old mentor Harry Redknapp in charge at White Hart Lane, I never doubted that this summer would see Cole make the switch across London to the Lilywhites. In fact, Redknapp himself has hinted that he thought a deal was done and dusted. So why Liverpool?
The obvious, and most cynical, answer is money. Despite taking a pay cut, Cole's wages are too high for Spurs or Arsenal. Neither would break their wage structures on such an unpredictable acquisition.
Under-achieving
Tottenham fans, however, would forgive his misgivings, happy to see the odd clever flick reach its target or stunning strike rustle the net. Arsenal fans would be happy just to see their side splash some cash. But Liverpool will be a baptism of fire – the club is under-achieving, their Championship title record is on the line and the fans are fed up.
So has Cole in fact shown some bravery in taking the most difficult option?
It would have been very easy to scoot across London and spend half the season on the bench hiding any injuries or dips in form behind a rotation of other classy midfielders.
Quickly found out
Roy Hodgson, and of course the Yanks, will not be paying all that money to leave him on the bench, so if Cole is not the complete player they are expecting him to be, or is not fit enough for a solid season's hard work, then he will be quickly found out.
In going to Liverpool, he has guaranteed first-team football and is giving himself the chance to prove he is as good a footballer as his potential suggested.
Where he will fit in at Anfield, and why they need him, is another matter altogether. A creative midfielder is usually a commodity afforded by only the best sides but Liverpool need much more than a touch of genius and the odd point to get where they want to go.
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