Joe Cole was a hero at West Ham and Chelsea and there has always been fierce debate over where his loyalties lay but now he’s opened up on the choices he made.
There is no love lost between the Hammers and Chelsea down the years, even if there has been a huge gulf between the two clubs in the modern Premier League era.
In fact the rivalry between West Ham and Chelsea was traditionally among the fiercest in London.
So Joe Cole is something of a rarity in football in that he is loved by fans of West Ham AND rivals Chelsea.
As a young mercurial talent emerging through West Ham’s famed Academy, Cole brought a level of excitement to following the Hammers that has rarely been matched since.
Cole was the jewel in the crown of West Ham’s golden generation.
Cole opens up on signing for West Ham after Chelsea admission
Ultimately it was a wasted golden generation and while Cole’s West Ham love story had some amazing moments, it ended in heartbreak with relegation and a move to rivals Chelsea.
Cole returned to east London at the back end of his career and is still highly regarded by most West Ham supporters.
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“The fans are demanding. They believe they have a certain right to see a certain type of play but it doesn’t always work like that.
“I think the big thing for me was you need the right players. I don’t think the squad is that strong. I looked at it and I thought that looks like a relegation squad to me.”
– Jamie Redknapp on West Ham fans
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Not least because he always speaks so well on the club in his role as a pundit and clearly “gets” West Ham.
Supporters who were taking notice at the time of Cole’s emergence in the Academy of Football would know he actually grew up supporting Chelsea.
But when Cole has been spotted celebrating wildly watching Chelsea win trophies, it did not sit well with some of the West Ham faithful, especially some of the more old school fans.
The former England midfield ace celebrated West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph just as excitedly.
Joe Cole after West Ham's Europa Conference League triumph over Fiorentina
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Cole has passionately explained where his loyalties lay between West Ham and Chelsea in the past.
Now Cole says there’s one thing he’d change about signing for West Ham after a big Chelsea admission.
Reminiscing about the career path he chose as a young star, Cole recalled the moment he signed on the dotted line to be a West Ham professional on his birthday and against his boyhood club Chelsea no less.
Cole admits he grew up a big Chelsea fan but insists he loved the Hammers.
Now Cole says West Ham did something that would never happen today and believes the club showed a lack of duty of care for a player so young.
Cole: West Ham did something that would never happen today
“It was West Ham versus Chelsea on my birthday,” Cole said.
“Obviously, I supported Chelsea as a as a boy. Loved West Ham and everything. I was signing for them and they made a big deal out of it. Do you know what I mean?
“And you don’t know as a kid. So I’ve sort of walked out onto the pitch at Upton Park and the announcer was like you know giving me (big hype) like a boxer coming to the ring – and I’m a 17-year-old kid.
“The whole crowd was looking at me and I was a shy kid and I was like ‘I don’t want to be out here, I really don’t want to be out here’.
“So, I walked out with my dad and Jimmy was the youth development officer and we sat and I’m just cringing inside. I wanted to get off (the pitch), obviously happy to sign the contract you know what I mean?
“It was a fake signature because I’d already signed it, but it was for the pictures. They talk about looking after young players and like and everything like that. There was none of that when I was coming through.
“It was like ‘right you’re in, sink or swim’ on all aspects of football. Just playing is hard enough but the media you know things like that (as well).
“So listen I love this period of my life but the actual signing day at West Ham I was like I think nowadays it wouldn’t happen.”
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