As much power as players have these days, sometimes they are helpless to decide the course of their career. That was the case with one Chelsea star who wishes he never left.
Chelsea are notoriously cut-throat when it comes to signing and selling.
It was like that under the reign of Roman Abramovich, and it’s like that now under BlueCo. Todd Boehly’s method of running Chelsea gets just as much scrutiny as his Russian predecessor’s.
But one Chelsea icon who was at the club for seven years has discussed a horrific injury that caused the Blues to press pause on negotiating an extension, and it led to him leaving for a Premier League rival.
Chelsea v APOEL - UEFA Champions League
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Joe Cole says he never wanted to leave Chelsea
Joe Cole is currently promoting his new memoir, Luxury Player, which dissects his long and successful career in football, most of which he spent at Stamford Bridge.
That’s why he went on The High Performance Podcast, to give fans a taste of what he discusses in his book. One such topic is Cole’s shock transfer from Chelsea to Liverpool, which came about after a ‘car accident’ injury that he sustained right around the time a new contract was being considered.
Chelsea understandably pressed pause on negotiations after such severe problems, but that didn’t sit right with Cole.
He recalls: “Rightly so, they pulled back. But again, looking back now, they never contacted me. Then I got back from the injury, took me 11 months and I had about eight or nine months left on my contract.
“But again, like that little bit of petulance in me, I was like, well, where were you when I was injured? Do you know what I mean? I was like, I was like, hold on, let me just, and the negotiations never really got going from that.”
Chelsea’s initial hesitance paired with Cole’s later pride meant negotiations never really got going, and the former England star still feels a type of way about it today.
As he puts it: “I think there was partly my ego was bruised because I didn’t, I thought to myself, I should have got the contract offer 18 months ago. And then they didn’t offer it to me. So there was a little bit of that going on.”
“Then after about four, five, six months, it goes into the season, I’m starting to think, this might be my last six months. Never really wanted to go. But again, you know, if you know now and know then, I’d have gone back to the table and taken maybe a cut price because I was happy, you know what I mean?”
Happy birthday, Joe Cole! 🎉
Throwing it back to this classic goal that helped Chelsea seal the Premier League title in 2006 🔥🏆 pic.twitter.com/GfS5dRmV2F
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Chelsea were harsh, but right
Cole is a player well-liked by fans still, but to be brutally honest, Chelsea dodged a bullet.
Through no fault of his own, he wasn’t nearly the same player after that setback.
He would flop at Liverpool before bouncing around from club to club for the remainder of his career. It’s a reminder of just how cruel the sport can be.
On talent alone, Cole was one of the best around. He enjoyed a fruitful career at Stamford Bridge, but from a club perspective, it ended at the right time.