“Despite Winning the Premier League Multiple Times, I Regret My Move to Liverpool”

Joining Liverpool is a lifelong ambition for many footballers, but one former Premier League winner has confessed that he looks back on his move to Anfield with some regret.

Liverpool, the most decorated club in English football, have re-established themselves as regular title contenders in recent years. Jürgen Klopp famously ended their 30-year wait for a league title in 2020, and the club has remained competitive ever since.

That momentum continued under Arne Slot, who guided the Reds to the league title in his first season. Success on the pitch was followed by a historic transfer window, with Liverpool twice breaking the British transfer record. Florian Wirtz arrived for £116 million after rejecting Bayern Munich, while Alexander Isak sealed a £125 million move from Newcastle United. Both were among Europe’s most in-demand players, highlighting how attractive Liverpool have become.

However, this wasn’t always the case. In the early 2010s, Liverpool struggled to draw elite talent, and one player who did make the move later admitted he would rethink that decision.

Joe Cole joined Liverpool in the summer of 2010 on a free transfer after seven highly successful years at Chelsea, where he won three Premier League titles. At 28, he arrived with big expectations, signing for a Roy Hodgson side that had finished seventh the previous season and fallen outside the top four.

Despite the excitement surrounding his arrival, Cole’s time at Anfield quickly unravelled. Injuries and poor form plagued his spell, and patience wore thin among the coaching staff. Just a year later, he was sent on loan to French club Lille.

Reflecting on that period, Cole admitted that, given another chance, he would have chosen a move abroad instead. Speaking to The Boot Room, he said that he thoroughly enjoyed his time in France and felt that experience suited him better, stressing that his comments were not meant as a slight on Liverpool.

While on loan at Lille, Cole rediscovered his form, contributing nine goals and six assists in 46 appearances. He also played alongside Eden Hazard, who would later enjoy a similarly dazzling spell at Chelsea. Looking back, Cole acknowledged that although joining Liverpool excited him at the time, it coincided with a difficult period for the club.

Cole eventually left Liverpool permanently in 2013, returning to West Ham United. He later featured for Aston Villa and Coventry City before ending his playing career in the United States with Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2018.

His struggles at Liverpool were evident from the outset. On his league debut, Cole was sent off against Arsenal and handed a three-match ban. Once he returned, he was unable to regain momentum, hampered by injuries and inconsistent performances. Across the 2010–11 league season, he managed just two goals and one assist in 20 appearances.

After returning from his successful loan spell in France, Cole played only a minor role, making six league appearances in the 2012–13 campaign. Unable to reproduce his Lille form at Anfield, he moved on to West Ham, bringing an underwhelming Liverpool chapter to a close.