Liverpool are reportedly considering an improbable move for fading Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole.
According to multiple reports this week:
* Brendan Rodgers is keen to sign Cole this summer.
* Manchester United and Arsenal are also allegedly interested.
* Cole will be a free agent from June 2014.
Cole hasn't started a league game for Chelsea since November 2013, and at the age of 33, he's clearly in the twilight of his career.
He also has an offer on the table from New York Red Bulls, but reportedly doesn't want to move to the MLS until 2015.
I don't know what it is, but I just can't see Cole as a Liverpool player. There are certain players who just don't fit the LFC template, and Cole is (IMO) one of them, just like his namesake Joe, another ex-Chelsea player who didn't belong at Anfield.
Granted, he'd bring immense experience, but if he's not good enough for Chelsea anymore, why is he suddenly the answer for Liverpool? Additionally, the Reds have enough ageing defenders in the squad. Kolo Toure is in his thirties, and Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson aren't getting any younger.
Jose Mourinho wants Cole to stay, however, and addressing transfer speculation over the weekend, he told reporters:
"I like the player [Cole] I trust the player, and I want him to stay. The club is happy with that, so we don't have a problem but [his decision] is another story that I cannot control"
Liverpool need another left-back, but not a 33-year who will probably quit the Premier League and follow the money to the USA sooner rather than later. Cole's 100 caps for England is, admittedly, a great achievement (even if he'll forever be associated with the failed 'Golden Generation'), and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard certainly thinks highly of him. After reaching the hundred cap milestone, Gerrard raved:
"He [Cole] has been phenomenal. There have been years over the last 12 when Ashley Cole has been the best left-back in the world. He's probably been the most consistent player I've played with during my time with England".
Signing Joe Cole was a massive mistake, and he basically got paid big bucks to sit on the bench (or convalesce on the treatment table); Ashley Cole would be a similar waste of money (IMO).
Author: Jaimie K
According to multiple reports this week:
* Brendan Rodgers is keen to sign Cole this summer.
* Manchester United and Arsenal are also allegedly interested.
* Cole will be a free agent from June 2014.
Cole hasn't started a league game for Chelsea since November 2013, and at the age of 33, he's clearly in the twilight of his career.
He also has an offer on the table from New York Red Bulls, but reportedly doesn't want to move to the MLS until 2015.
I don't know what it is, but I just can't see Cole as a Liverpool player. There are certain players who just don't fit the LFC template, and Cole is (IMO) one of them, just like his namesake Joe, another ex-Chelsea player who didn't belong at Anfield.
Granted, he'd bring immense experience, but if he's not good enough for Chelsea anymore, why is he suddenly the answer for Liverpool? Additionally, the Reds have enough ageing defenders in the squad. Kolo Toure is in his thirties, and Daniel Agger and Glen Johnson aren't getting any younger.
Jose Mourinho wants Cole to stay, however, and addressing transfer speculation over the weekend, he told reporters:
"I like the player [Cole] I trust the player, and I want him to stay. The club is happy with that, so we don't have a problem but [his decision] is another story that I cannot control"
Liverpool need another left-back, but not a 33-year who will probably quit the Premier League and follow the money to the USA sooner rather than later. Cole's 100 caps for England is, admittedly, a great achievement (even if he'll forever be associated with the failed 'Golden Generation'), and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard certainly thinks highly of him. After reaching the hundred cap milestone, Gerrard raved:
"He [Cole] has been phenomenal. There have been years over the last 12 when Ashley Cole has been the best left-back in the world. He's probably been the most consistent player I've played with during my time with England".
Signing Joe Cole was a massive mistake, and he basically got paid big bucks to sit on the bench (or convalesce on the treatment table); Ashley Cole would be a similar waste of money (IMO).
Author: Jaimie K
I don't like Cashley either but he does have a lot of experience to bring to the squad. CL experience also. If it would give a young player from the reserves the extra year he needs to step up it may not be a bad idea. Especially on a free. Spending our summer budget on one or two top top talents straight into the first team and add to the squad with experienced Bosmans like this is not too shabby
ReplyDeleteI don't agree JK, given we need to be 'creative' to strengthen the team without spending big bucks ie older, younger, walks with a limp! etc ,as long as his wage demands aren't outrageous I think he'd be great for a season or two until a long term solution is found at left back.
ReplyDeleteNot going to happen at the age of 33 plus his wages probably do not fit in with our structure.
ReplyDeleteThink he,d still want a hefty salary that wouldn't be justified, besides the fact as JK says i just don't see him as a lfc player, also maybe I've misjudged him but i just don't like him
ReplyDeleteAnyone know how Andre Wisdom is doing?
ReplyDeleteGerrard thinks highly of everyone. He'd probably say I'm on the same level as Gareth Bale after watching me playing on the left wing in park football...
ReplyDeleteWon't happen and not because he won't come here because he is in his final year of contract and also he hasn't been offered another one more than likely chelkski will sign a new LB in the summer, but I don't think BR. Or F.S.G will want a short term fix on massive wages! Cole was a top LB but there are better out there now for the future and present , so in my eyes the article is rubbish.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we want from the Utd game?
ReplyDeleteArsenal win
Draw
or Utd win?
And if you could choose between an Arsenal and Utd win, who and why?
defo a draw it takes Man U out of the top 4 race for good and keeps us in touching distance of the top
ReplyDeletea good friend of mine is a derby season ticket holder and he says that wisdom has been terrific for them. he can't believe how attack minded he is but can also defend......can we have him back now,please!?
ReplyDeleteboth to lose.
ReplyDeleteAnd moyes to get a contract extension ! Would be great ; - )
ReplyDeleteAnd if you had utd or ars. win, which would you prefer? and why?
ReplyDeleteregardless of experience, he is too old, too expensive(wage-wise), too odious for our great club.
ReplyDeletewithout doubt! gollum must stay!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf we make CL, I wouldn't go for Cole. He was brilliant in his prime, but we could go for much better options.
ReplyDeleteManu because they will drop more points anyway also with arsenal having to play b.munch x2 lpool, (cups) spurs , Chelsea, everton , a think man city aswell all after each other arsenal will drop a good few aswell., but the most important result is lpool winning no 1 can do anything then !
ReplyDeleteha, I'm actually surprised by the number of people who prefer a Utd win over Arsenal. I seem to be a lot more cautious...
ReplyDeleteNo thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm recording the Arsenal game and watching our game with the hope that United lose. But if Arsenal drop points it helps us with snatching 3rd place. It's really hard to believe that Spurs are just 3 points behind us so all that matters is that we win.
ReplyDeletePossibly but I would prefer a draw makes life easier for us, and spurs to drop points at Newcastle and win for us would be another great week for the reds
ReplyDeleteI have the feeling we can afford an Arsenal win right now. It's not like there's 5 games left and we need them to lose to make a late dash for the title. Let's f*** Utd off once and for all.
ReplyDeleteSpurs may be close behind...but I don't know if they can sustain this :)
I was wondering about this one. I think we could use an experienced full back at the club for a season or two, for our youngsters to learn from. The way Cole plays, or played, always seemed to me classical, such perfect positioning and understanding of how to use it in tandem with pace. A great player and one that everyone who wants to learn about full-back play should study.
ReplyDeleteI've watched about 6 or 8 Derby matches this season; Wisdom has been absolutely terrific for them, and looks like a premier league defender. His passing is a relative weakness which would be a worry, and though he attacks well in terms of timing, his final ball is just not there. He always looked like a CB in waiting for me, but he hasn't grown to be as imposing as I thought he would be and his heading ability hasn't really been tested much that I've seen. But he'll be a reliable squad member for Liverpool next season, no doubt. After that, who knows?
ReplyDeleteMourinho and Rodgers is a major falling-out waiting to happen. At the moment they are like cautious allies, hoping to overthrow their mutual enemies. But if they do that, they will turn on eachother like mad ninjas.
ReplyDeletemourinho is a wind-up merchant who should just be ignored, then hopefully he will just shut up. the guy bores me rigid. i hate the way mugs fawn over his every comment and the fake laughter at his 'witty' comments, are just bile producing.
ReplyDeleteStevie is a MR. KISS OF DEATH
ReplyDeletemourinho is a joy to behold. he is 'witty', never gets any of his information wrong, is wonderfully gracious in defeat. i think he is 'great'. just to prove how 'great' he is, we need brendan to show how jose 'made' him. go on brendan...you show him, really show him.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, Utd will drop more points than Arsenal before the season is over so Utd win for me although I would rather see them getting a hiding.
ReplyDeleteUtd will not make the top 4 this season no matter how hard they try. Arsenal losing vital points is more important for us right now.
If we win and Arsenal lose, we will only be two points behind them.
Lets not worry about the teams behind us!
Ashley Cole , what's the point in that ? Has not played for ages but at least he has his whole career still infront of him lol
ReplyDeleteRather sign Cheryl ;-)
ReplyDeleteOn a one year contract for free... Even though i never liked him as a person he was superb as a player and would still do a good job. I like enrique but not his game.
ReplyDeleteThe Reds have scored more first half goals in the Premier League this season (42) than 16 of the other 19 teams in the league have in total.
ReplyDeleteThink Fulham are up against it tonight :-)
This is one of the more ludicrous transfer tales.
ReplyDeleteI would rather talk about Chelsea and Mourinho doing an us against WBA. Not once this season have I seriously thought we had any chance of winning the league. Even when we were top I looked at upcoming games and saw the possibilities. But a win tonight puts us 4 points off top spot even if Arsenal win it would only be four, Considering who has to play who the possibility is still there.
I'm probably still giddy from the Arsenal game and a draw tonight will return me to my usual sombre self. They will park the bus which we have had problems with.
But a win...............
I would rather we signed Ryan Bertrand. Think we could get him fairly cheap too, £6m maybe?
ReplyDeleteI think the main reason he is not playing for Chelsea is because he is running his contract down looking for a final large wage. Could still be an asset though
ReplyDeleteThe only reason a player like Cole should be signed is as a stop gap if we were in need of a quick fix for a season and it was a free transfer on a 1 year deal. I don't particularly think we are in need of such a player though. I would much rather we bought a young player who is desperate to make a name for himself. If we made signings like Cole we would be bringing in potential deadwood to sit around and lower the ambitions.
ReplyDeleteFinally in keeping with the comment policy, there are players I dislike a lot less than Cole out there ;)
I like him as well. I wonder how much Marvin Plattenhardt at Nurnburg would cost though, if he was gettable? He looks a real talent at 21 and already has getting on for 100 first team appearances to his name.
ReplyDeleteI think Ashley Cole could be a masterstroke of a signing just like Gary Mac was for us in 2000/2001. A short term buy that will help young fullbacks learn their trade and also the wealth of experience at the back that we are missing in wide areas.
ReplyDeleteGranted, he isnt the 25 year old fullback where he became the best in the world, but players like him are hard to find.
I felt sorry for Joe Cole when he came to Anfield. He could have been a big hit but got sent off in his first game and never recovered. But that was partly due to the fact Roy Hodgson was in charge.
Cole was class in his day arguably the best in the world as gerrard said and still has something to offer in a limited capacity. He is not the answer to our LB situation however. We don't need a fading star, or an up and coming starlet. We need an established quality left back. We have a team that by next year could have matured in almost every position to a genuine top class team. When (fingers crossed) we make CL the areas that need strengthening (LB/DM/AM/Wing) should be by players who are at the top of their game, and will continue to be for the next five or six years.
ReplyDeleteOczipka has impressed me every time I've seen him play for frankfurt, which admittedly has only been three or four times this season, but every time he was a stand out player for me. He's mid twenties, still improving but experienced. Not sure what his price tag is though but surely if we qualify, the standard of signings will go up.
We should forget about signing A Cole(33) in the summer on free Transfer , If we make champions league this year.
ReplyDeleteIn summer these 7 Average dead wood or injury prone players need to be shipped out:
1: GK: B Jones 2: RB: M Kelly 3: CB: S Coates
4: RWF/LWF : Assaidi 5: FD: F Borini 6: FD: I Aspas
7: AM: L Alberto
And B Rodgers FSG need to back B Rodgers high and well in order to bring in 8 class, quality players( No More Loan Signings)
These are the 8 players B Rodgers should bring to club in summer if we make Champions league:
5 Defensive players for next 3-6 years: That would cost club 27- 44M
1: GK: A Mccarthy(24) Of Reading for 4-7M
2: CB: K Papadopolous(22) Of Schalke for 7-12M
3: RB: N Clyne(22) Of Southampton for 4-7M
4: LB: S Umtiti(20) Of Lyon for 4-6M
5: DM: M'Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 8-12M
3 Class quality players in the calibre class of Coutinho, Gerrard, Suarez and Sturridge: that would cost club 34-45M
6: AM: A Lallana(25) Of Southampton for 12-16M
7: LW / LWF: Y Konoplyanka(24) Of Dnipro for 12-15M
8: FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR for 10-14M
Clyne would cost upward of £10m. M'vila and Lallana upward of £20m each I think. Not a terrible shopping list though I don't think any side could accommodate so many new players without suffering a loss of form to be honest. I'd go for three major signings, a forward, a midfielder, and a defender, and a couple of squad players in to replace those going out, at most.
ReplyDeleteMourinho made the same statement about Mata so it seems Cole will definitely be going. I don't believe the speculation linking him with Arsenal Manure and LFC. None of these clubs need a 33 yr old. Never going to happen won't be at LFC or the other 2 teams mentioned. More likely to Aston Villa or someone of the mid-table ilk.
ReplyDeleteAdd Glen Johnson to the ship outs. Past his use by date as an LFC player anyway.
ReplyDeleteI like him. He's a good coach. But I agree, hope Brendan deals with him well when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteAn absolutely tremendous footballer in his time, but that time has passed. If we had a really promising left-back who was close to coming in to the first team, then I think he'd be a decent buy, but I don't think anyone is on the brink.
ReplyDeleteSaying Cole isn't good enough for Chelsea anymore is like saying Sturridge or Mata weren't good enough for Chelsea. Just because a certain manager fancies another player more, doesn't automatically make them a bad player - its bad management if anything.
ReplyDeleteJust saying.
I would take him for a season if salary demands were reasonable
ReplyDeleteWould at least want to see Alberto get a fair go before labelling him deadwood.
ReplyDeleteAlso why would they want Papodopolous enough C.bs here now and injury prone too will have to agree with Umtiti but only coz its a great name.
He's been a great player, I just can't stand him and it would break my heart to see him in the beloved red shirt. Strikes me as a completely selfish ego-maniac
ReplyDeleteThe owners should have made u the manager...are you playing fantasy football league
ReplyDeletethis is the worst rumour instead of signing cole pay sum money and buy clichy from man city that guys is good enough for us.
ReplyDeletePlease NO!! NO!! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
ReplyDeletei'd want for all english players to suddenly turn Messi-like and win the world cup and for Man Utd to sign Hodgson as manager after the win
ReplyDeleteYour right on that he is on a ridculous salary and this season he has been non existant while playing. B Rodgers has made excuses for him, but it is because Johnson's contract is up and i am sure he knows he ain't getting the £100,000 plus salary a week he is on if he stays at club, he will get considerably lower.
ReplyDeleteN Clyne(23) Of Southampton could cost between 6-12M, he is currently warming their bench with Chambers prefered ahead of him. If Club offer between 6-8M, i think we could get him. He is a very good defender and reasonable in attack, but as a defender he is solid.
ReplyDeleteM'Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan club could have got for 8-10M, Rubin Kazan wanted 8-10M but I Ayre and FSG wanted to try their cheapskate madness and get him on loan instead of just buying him for 8-10M in January.
A Lallana(25) would cost between 12-17M, he is class, quality player but he has not played in Europe, enough for Country to be worth over £20M
If we make Champions league this season, As the world all knows and B Rodgers keeps saying we have a weak squad compared to all our top 4 rivals in all honesty. Out of 25 man squad we have 12/ 13 class quality players and 3 good class quality Youngsters.
8-9 dead wood players
And they need to be shipped out in summer and replaced by 8 class quality players:
GK B Jones RB M Kelly RB G Johnson
CB S Coates CB K Toure AM: L Alberto
RW / RWF: Assaidi FD: Aspas FD: Borini
As there is no way in hell we would still be in 4th position with all the injuries we have had to some of our key players in vital stages if we were in Europe this season. And if we were in Europe there would be more chances of players picking up injuries. So these 9 players need to be shipped out in summer.
We needed 4 players in January but I Ayre flopped again, that is why in summer we need 8 players.
We need more class quality competition for places for every position.
You are proving my point, not really your own. When Salah chose |Chelsea it's reasonable to assume that CL status would have played a part in his decision, plus the chance to vie for the PL. Had Chelsea not waded in with a c£16m offer, it is also reasonable to believe that he would have joined us for around that 8-10m fee.
ReplyDeleteCourtois was bought while Reina was still very much our no 1. We could not afford to do as Chelsea did and buy him for later, at that time we were in some considerable financial difficulties and GK was not our priority. And again, Chelsea were vying for CL glory. We were nowhere. To suggest we could have bought him for c£10m and that he would have come to us in preference to Chelsea at that time is highly optimistic. He imo wasn't ready to walk into the team; Mignolet had PL experience when we bought him.
many players have taken time to make their mark; from Henderson to Drogba to Berkhamp we have seen several instances of that . Borini needs to continue to improve, but remember his role will be backup striker, not main striker, and without status eg CL, PL contenders, etc, few top class strikers would be content to sit on the bench behind SAS.
And again- Konoplyanka is considered a better player than Salah by most people I've seen comment. For all we know, Salah could be this year's Dempsey, or (insert Spurs player recently hijacked here)
Chelsea did not pay 16 million for Salah. They paid the asking price and we didn't and that's the only reason he ended up there. Well that and the fact that Chelsea isn't exactly a crap side either.
ReplyDeleteCourtois was bought in the summer we spent 50 million on deadbeats so I'm pretty sure our financial difficulties were over. Not getting Courtois was only one of many mistakes that summer.
Considered...people...let's be honest here. Most people had never even heard of either Salah or Konoplyanka before we were linked to them and there is no way one is worth double of what the other is worth