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29 March 2024

Player to solve Liverpool's midfield woes

Joe Cole could play a pivotal role at Liverpool this season. (FILE)

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By Staff

England discard Joe Cole is hoping to reignite his career back at Liverpool after the end of his season-long loan at Lille.

Cole admits his future is up in the air following Kenny Dalglish's sacking but he refuses to give up on his dream of making it an Anfield.

“I haven’t had any conversations with Liverpool, but as it stands I’m back there for pre-season," he told The Sun.

Cole, 30, claims he has become a more mature player after 10 months in France and is confident playing a key role in the Liverpool's midfield.

“My time at Lille has been extremely positive. I’ve moved back from the wing into a more central midfield role and I have thrived there," said Cole who believes he is ideally suited for the position.

“It’s my best position, I was doing it at 19 for West Ham. The days of me running down the wing are over, I see my future in the middle now. It’s where I can get my foot on the ball and get the best out of myself," he added.

But it all depends on who the new manager at Anfield would be.

“When you don’t know who the manager is going to be you cannot do much else really. I’m hoping to make it at Liverpool. Once a new manager is appointed then we’ll see how it goes with him,” he said.

Cole’s old club West Ham are already linked with a move for their once-cherished playmaker following promotion back to the Premier League.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is also a long-time admirer of Cole’s skills and Liverpool would probably allow him to go on a free to return to London.

Cole scored nine goals for Lille boss Rudi Garcia to help the club back into the Champions League and embraced a new way of life and football style.

He added: “It’s an unbelievable achievement for us. It’s been a whole new team and I have learnt so much from my time here."

Cole has also not given up on his dream of playing for England again although he was left out of Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2012 squad.

He said: “England has gone in a different direction and there’s nothing I can do about that. But I still believe I could play in two years’ time at the World Cup in Brazil.

“I won’t give up. I’m going away for a couple of weeks but then I’ll start training by myself to keep ticking over in case I’m in the Olympic squad. That would be brilliant."
 

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Why Arsenal and Man Utd want Dembele

Arsenal and Manchester United are ready to pounce on midfielder Moussa Dembele who is set to reject Fulham’s new contract offer.

The midfielder has a year left but Martin Jol’s attempt to convince him to sign a new deal seem to have failed, according to the Daily Mail.

Liverpool and Tottenham also admire the Belgian who is set for a summer exit.


Man Utd to buy Dembele to match Yaya Toure


Manchester City's title run-in has certainly ruffled feathers at Old Trafford with Manchester United going into panic buying mode.

United are lining up a £10 million bid for Fulham's attacking midfielder Mousa Dembele, with Paul Scholes yet to decide whether he will play on for next season, according to the Daily Mail.

United are already planning to rebuild their side to regain the title next term with Dembele being the first of a number of signings.

The 24-year old Belgium midfielder has made an impact since his £5m move from AZ Alkmaar in 2010, especially after Fulham manager Martin Jol dropped him back into a deeper central-midfield role in the 2-1 win over Stoke in February.

He has only scored twice this season, but has been instrumental in Fulham's rise to ninth and is seen as a ready-made replacement for Scholes, 37, who was forced out of retirement.
 
With Lille's attacking midfielder Eden Hazard likely to join City, Ferguson must find cover for Darren Fletcher, who has a long-term illness, and Tom Cleverley, who has been prone to injury problems throughout the current campaign.

The United boss is an admirer of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa and flew to Germany on Saturday to watch the Japanese international, who scored the opening goal in their 5-2 win over Bayern Munich in the German Cup Final.

Ferguson, also interested in Kagawa's team-mate Mario Goetze, will have talks with Scholes in an attempt to persuade him to extend his comeback for another season, the report added.

"I will speak to Paul," said Ferguson. "Obviously he made a tremendous contribution when he came back. But it was his decision to return and I will respect whatever he wants to do.

"I haven't discussed it with him yet, to be honest. I think I made that mistake last season, talking to him before the season had finished.

"It is better getting the season over and having a break and I may not speak to him before he has been away on holiday."