Liverpool have today confirmed the signing of Joe Cole on a free transfer.
Released by Chelsea last month, Cole has signed a four-year deal at Anfield. The move was widely expected with reports at the weekend of betting being suspended on the transfer.
The deal is all but complete barring any complications in the medical which is due to take place in the next 48-hours according to the Liverpool statement. Effectively Liverpool have traded Cole for Yossi Benayoun who agreed a move to Stamford Bridge earlier this month for a fee of around £5 million.
No doubt we will hear more from Cole and a beaming Roy Hodgson later but for now there’s no doubt that this could prove a significant signing from a Fantasy perspective…
Cole is not yet included in the Fantasy Premier League game but is likely to arrive in the game as a new mid-price prospect. We can anticipate a fee of around 8.0-8.5 for the impish creator. That could well be a tempting proposition; the likelihood of 30+ starts in a Liverpool side spearheaded by the deadly Fernando Torres will surely promise strong assist returns from Cole who returned 2 goals and 6 assists in 14 Premier League starts last term under Carlo Ancelotti.
Previous to that Cole bizarrely had an identical record in 08/09, whilst notching 7 goals and 6 assists in 07/08 following a run of 28 league starts. Cole did not break the 30 start mark in his seven-year Premier League career with Chelsea, a spell blighted by injury and the inability to hold down a settled role and position. Presumably the latter is set to change on his arrival at Anfield, even if the former will remain a concern for would-be Fantasy investors.
We will of course follow this up with further details and a full Scout Report in due course.