Joe Cole's Mistake

Yes, that's right, his mistake. When asked if he was happy at Liverpool, he gave the same run-of-the-mill answer, but did manage to let on that things weren't going to plan. No sh*t Sherlock!

You know it's only a matter of time before the mainstream media junkies start writing headlines like "The Prodigal Son Returns" and "I'm REDy to Quit my Liverpool Hell".

As far as I am concerned, Joe can rot up in Liverpool. Joe Cole chose to go after the money, setting aside ambition. From what I've seen of him this season, he dribbles with the ball from right to left a great deal, stops, dribbles some more and then either loses possession or makes a dreadful pass.

If anything, I would like to thank Joe Cole for choosing Liverpool over Tottenham Hotspur, for if he had decided to sign a 70K per week deal with us, a certain Van der Vaart may not have graced the White Hart Lane pitch.

Even though I wasn't pro-Cole when he was being linked with us, I still got that empty feeling after he had signed for Liverpool; you know the one - like you felt when you heard that West Ham had won the bid to takeover the Olympic Stadium - you didn't want us to get it, but at the same time, you felt disheartened.

Maybe Joe Cole could have been a real Tottenham Hotspur player. One that inspired us and got the team going. But as I said, Mr. Cole made his choice. Now he can't wait to get out of his Anfield hell. Well, I won't be welcoming him at Spurs. Even if Liverpool were to gift wrap him to us without a transfer fee and even if he accepted below-par wages, I still wouldn't want him anywhere near White Hart Lane. Firstly, he wouldn't be an improvement on what we have, secondly, he's an expert at writing sicknotes and thirdly, he would take up one of the valuable 25 man squad slots.

Someone better let Joe Cole in on the fact that we've moved on. Tottenham Hotspur is simply too big for Joe Cole.

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Mesut Özil to Spurs?

Werder Bremen's Sporting Director, Klaus Allofs, said that "we will have to listen to those offers if that is what Mesut wants."

By "those offers", Allofs is alluding to the fact that Werder Bremen simply cannot offer the German playmaker the wages he wants.

We've all heard Harry talk about that "special player", well, I doubt they come as "special" as Mesut Özil.

Let's forget Joe Cole for the time being, for it looks as though he will be donning the new Liverpool kit shortly. If Harry is so adamant in purchasing a player that fits into the Cole formula (can play off a striker, in the hole behind one or two strikers, on the left, in midfield, etc.), surely Özil is that player?

The Telegraph has reported that £20 million should be enough to prize him away from the Bundesliga outfit.

I know who I'd rather sign.

German Prima Donna, Aged 21 or English Prima Donna, Aged 29. You decide.

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Harry on Fab

Our 'Arry is at it yet again, this time stating that Tottenham Hotspur could be interested in signing the Brazil International striker, Luís Fabiano, from Sevilla.

"To be perfectly honest, I haven't sat down to discuss any transfer targets with our chairman Daniel Levy, apart from trying to do a deal with Joe Cole", said Harry Redknapp.

Come on Harry, we know that's not true. A lot of us heard you say that "Diego Forlan is interested in coming to Tottenham". Maybe Harry did that behind Levy's back? Who knows?

I personally can't stand Luís Fabiano. If he's not constantly falling over, he's telling everyone just how good he is. Thanks, but no thanks mate.

We all know Harry Redknapp would love Craig Bellamy, Diego Forlan and Micah Richards at the Lane. Thus far, Harry has told us (live on talkSPORT) that "Craig Bellamy is a player that could do a job for Tottenham", that "Joey Cole is a player that we are in talks with and are pretty close to signing" and that "Manchester City may allow us to speak with Micah Richards".

Diego Forlan, in my honest opinion, is the "special player" that Redknapp desires. Craig Bellamy isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he could do a job for us. I'm a bit baffled at the inclusion of Richards, but then again, I am sure Harry knows what he's doing.

I personally wouldn't mind the following transfer transactions to take place over this summer:

In
Diego Forlan
Craig Bellamy
Micah Richards
Joe Cole

Out
Robbie Keane
Roman Pavlyuchenko
Alan Hutton
Adel Taarabt
Jermaine Jenas

I suppose we'll have to wait and see how the summer pans out. If only Levy would conduct his business promptly so that our squad could settle before the Champion's League Qualifiers....


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Interest in Shaun Wright-Phillips Grows

You've got to be kidding me? I know that we've come to the point in this pre-season when the tabloids go into overdrive, but Shaun Wright-Phillips??

"Arsenal face competition from Tottenham and Liverpool as they try to sign Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips." - Daily Mail

Who dreams this stuff up? I personally think the guy is useless. If the ball isn't deflecting off his shin, then it's coming off of an opponents body part. Has SWP really fulfilled his potential over the past decade? To be fair, he was pretty decent prior to moving to Chelsea, but since then, he has been awful. How he got on the plane to South Africa still baffles me. The fact that he still thinks he's worth £75,000 per week is also a conundrum not many of us will ever be able to answer.

In other news, Niko Kranjcar has fully recovered from the ankle injury he picked up against Portsmouth in the F.A. Cup semi-final. It will be good to see the lad back in action once again. Maybe his form in pre-season can persuade Harry Redknapp to not sign Joe Cole?

I have started to warm to the idea of Cole joining though.

Before I go, Harry is set to be on talkSPORT later on today. Should be interesting!



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Redknapp on possible formation and Cole

Harry Redknapp has recently spoken about Joe Cole and the possible formation that Tottenham will be implementing.

When asked where he would play Joe Cole (if we were successful in signing him), Harry had this to say: "I think you'd either play him in behind, like the boy [Mesut Ozil] plays for Germany - he could play that position off a striker and be free - or I even think he could play in the middle of the park in whatever system.

"If you play with two up front you could play with a diamond. He could play in behind. I think Joe's strong enough, he's a lot stronger than people realise. He can run all day, he plays with great enthusiasm and skill, I think he's got everything.

"I think there's a good chance [that we can sign him]. A few weeks ago I probably didn't think there was a lot of chance. I really felt that Joe maybe had decided to go somewhere else. To be honest I thought he had maybe done a deal with another club.

"But I don't think he has now and if it's possible to get him I would like him. I'm not going to tell a lie, yes I have spoken to Joe. He's got lots of options, I think quite a lot of clubs want him but I had a great relationship with him as a kid [at West Ham]."

As regards the formation we'll be using next season, Redknapp said: "I think that rigid 4-4-2 formation is the problem when you go in to play teams who can keep the ball.

"Chelsea and Arsenal didn't go into Europe playing that way. Liverpool don't go away from home in Europe and play this way.

"Take Germany - they played with Ozil in the hole behind the striker, two midfield players, and they popped it around.

"I think you can get away with 4-4-2 in the Premier League. Most teams are playing open, but in the World Cup, in European games, and certainly away from home in Europe... I think we're going to have to look at it [at Tottenham]."

With the players we currently have in our squad, I feel that we could implement the below system (click on the image to enlarge it). If Cole does sign, I suppose you could rotate him with Niko Kranjcar.

Source: Ham & High

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Cole is popular, but not popular enough

It's time to join the Joe Cole fan club. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to praise the out-of-contract playmaker, from his England and former Chelsea colleagues to Harry Redknapp, a man never shy of placing a tactical quote in the press.

It is hard not to admire the ability of Cole, who was England's best player at the 2006 World Cup - an honour admittedly nearly as easy to achieve as it was this time around. He was at his peak then, full of dangerous running, clever passing and important goals. I remember thinking how well he played in the famous 4-4 draw at White Hart Lane three seasons ago.

Injuries have taken the edge off of Cole's game since then, but his currency was still high. High enough for Fabio Capello to include him for South Africa despite the fact he was a bench-warmer at Chelsea last term and high enough for John Terry and most of the media to demand he play a central role in the England starting eleven, they certainly thought he would help England justify their World Cup 2010 odds.

However, the praise only goes so far. Capello did not fully trust Cole and it seems as though Carlo Ancelotti was similarly not persuaded by the player power at Chelsea to give him a new contract. Despite seemingly having plenty of suitors, Cole is still a free agent.

His £100,000 a week wage demands are perhaps a factor and could be the reason why he may not agree to be a Spurs player next season. Cole and his agent must assume that if no one else will splash out then Manchester City will, but the demands may have to change.

Tottenham's Premier League odds suggest they face a challenging season, and Cole would be a decent addition to a squad which will be playing in four competitions.

If he is available at a level that fits into Tottenham's wage structure then we should pursue him, regardless of the fact it is hard to see how he will fit into the team. Until then we should, like everyone else, admire him without acting on it.

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Cole in Talks with Spurs

COYS very own Legend and ITK (In The Know), POTL, yesterday announced that Joe Cole was in talks with us over a move to The Lane.

Apparently, the Spurs lads at the World Cup did a pretty good job of convincing Joe that White Hart Lane is the place to be. Let's face it, Cole wouldn't have received any advice from the England Arsenal players, would he??

Joe Cole will also talk with Arsenal, but chances are, he'll sign for us, but I suspect he will wait until Harry commits himself to Spurs.

Good or bad move?

******************

We received the below image in an attachment from one of our German mates who lives out in Cyprus. Cheers Marcus.





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Who should be on Spurs' summer transfer list

Harry Redknapp was quick to suggest that the recent successful season would not be followed by a busy summer in the transfer market. Tottenham's manager may be largely happy with his squad, but he is not one to let attractive transfer options pass him by, therefore, there will surely be some new arrivals at Spurs over the coming months as the club prepares to return to European football.

The return of the loanees (Robbie Keane, Alan Hutton, Giovani dos Santos and Jamie O'Hara) will not feel like new additions, as they are likely to leave again, especially as their combined market value is at least £20-25 million.

This would allow Redknapp to dabble in the transfer market to a greater extent than he is seemingly planning to - one big money move for a star player has been hinted at. But what does the team actually need? Tottenham's football betting odds suggest they should be looking to fight for glory on four fronts, so clearly reinforcements are needed.

A different back-up goalkeeping option to Carlo Cudicini is required, although the Italian has signed a new contract, suggesting his injury problems are not a long-term issue. An alternative, perhaps David James, would not prove too expensive, and let's face it, I can't see him wanting to join Spurs if he's going to be 2nd or 3rd in the Spurs Goalkeeping pecking order.

The defence seems well-settled, especially if and when Jonathan Woodgate returns to fitness. Indeed, the manager's apparent satisfaction with his squad applies to all areas, with the only area in real need of improvement being central midfield.

The work permit dependant signing of Sandro will help competition for places, but the team's engine room was short of goals last term and some creative talent needs to be brought in. The potential departures of Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley would make more funds for fees and wages available. Do you want Bentley and Jenas to leave?

Joe Cole's future at Chelsea is still not settled and the presence of Redknapp and Champion's League football at Spurs might prove alluring to a player feeling undervalued at Stamford Bridge. He could still star for England in the Football World Cup 2010 and is by no means passed his best, although he has suffered a great deal from injuries in the last 18 months. Let's not forget that Joe Cole is only 28 and should be at his peak. Stephen Ireland is another player who has slipped out of favour and both players' clever movement and eye for goal would be attractive to the manager. I'd prefer Ireland over Cole, but then again, knowing how Harry works, we could buy the two of them!

The future at Spurs is bright and Redknapp should have no trouble in persuading potential major signings that they should be a part of it.

Anyone else heard the rumour that Edin Dzeko's agent, Irfan Redzepagic, was in London this weekend, possibly meeting up with Daniel Levy?

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Joe Cole could be Arsenal bound

Had a few mates round last night, and as usual, we were discussing who'd be in and out of the Spurs team. Barry, a closet Spurs fan, but Arsenal season ticket holder down at the Arabic Library, told us all that he is confident Joe Cole will join Arsenal as soon as Fabregas is sold to Barcelona.

I really wish that were true, as I cannot see how Cole would fit into our team, unless Harry was planning on selling Luka Modric to Chelsea, which I can't see happening by the way.

This summer could be our most important in decades, so let's just hope Harry and Levy get it right.

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Levy's £40 million Warchest!

In the last few days, I've read that Daniel Levy has told Harry Redknapp that he will have £40 million in which to spend on the right players.

Now, hold on a second; did Daniel Levy publically come out with this information? If so, where was I?

I can understand that for the past few seasons, we've been good at getting our wallet out, but I haven't read that "Tottenham will have an £x million warchest" since Ossie Ardiles was in charge and we went on a little shopping spree, bringing in Klinsmann, Popescu, and Dumitrescu.

It also looks like the papers have sold Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas too. Not that I mind of course. Jenas has been on his way to Villa for the past 4 seasons now, so I am sure he'll finally find his way. Not sure who'd take on Robbie Keane though. I think he can still do a job for someone in the Premier League. Whether or not that someone is willing to pay his vast wages, is another matter.

So who is this Edin Dzeko that we've been linked with then? Wiki tells me that he's a fairly tall lad and has scored a lottery of goals for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. I've never seen him play and so I'm not too sure what type of player he's likened to.

Joe Cole's name has also come up again and again and again. A player we should have nothing to do with in my opinion. If he comes in, he'll either be brought in to replace The Modfather, or he'll have to find a comfy spot on the bench.

Anyway, here's to our Warchest!


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Hung on Joe Cole

So it begins....It looks as though we've officially entered the "This Player is Linked with Spurs" window of the year.

If you think us being linked with an average of 30 players per window was bad, you ain't seen nothing yet! Now that we're partially through to the Champion's League, you can expect us to be linked with absolutely everyone.

Towards the end of July 2009, we published an article saying the Joe Cole could be a target. Football agent and friend of Cole, Barry Silkman, said that Harry was interested in the little fella and that Cole too, was interested in maybe linking back up with his former boss.

Since then, Cole has yet to sign an extension to this contract and will be a free man as off July. The papers say that Cole's demanding around £100,000, although Chelsea don't see him as as £100K per week man.

Thing is, does Harry and more importantly, Daniel Levy, see Cole earning £100,000 per week at Spurs?

First off, where would we play him? Bale, who just signed a contract extension (taking him to 2014) plays out on the left. We have the Modfather in the centre and Aaron Lennon on the right.

I know it's a squad game now, but you can't have Cole sitting on the bench and earning £100K surely?

We've been linked with Michael Carrick and frankly, I'd take him over Joe Cole. If we're honest, we don't need to make wholesale changes to our squad. I believe we need a commanding central midfield general, someone in the ilk of Toulouse's, Moussa Sissoko, or Real Madrid's, Mahamadou Diarra. Both these players are looking to leave their respective clubs and both can do a decent job for us.

So Joe Cole doesn't get my vote, well, not if he's going to be on £100,000 per week and bench warming.

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Cole to Spurs?

I recently read that Harry's interested in bringing Carlton Cole to Spurs in the summer. He wouldn't be a bad signing, in fact, I'd take him over Peter Crouch at the moment. Both are similar players, although Cole is better at holding the ball up.

Thing is, I've got a feeling that the media have got the wrong Cole.

We all know how much Harry loves Joe Cole and you've no doubt read the stories doing the rounds in relation Cole's contract problems at Stamford Bridge? It's in situations like this that Harry comes into his own. If anyone can pull off a deal like this, then Harry's our man.

Question is, do we really need Joey Cole? His knee isn't what it once was and his struggling at the moment. Also, where would we put the little guy? In the hole behind a lone striker? On the left?

If we had the choice between Carlton and Joe, I know who I'd sign.

C Cole.


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"Harry will go all out to get Joe Cole"

Football agent, Barry Silkman, made that outrageous statement on Five Live.

When asked if he had any information to share on the matter, the agent didn't comment. He did go on to say, "I know Harry loves Joey Cole and he'll do whatever it takes to take him to Spurs."

Harry's been looking for a left sided player that can slot into his midfield and Cole can be that player."

Now, if this story is even half accurate, I'd be happy. Knowing Barry though, it's best to believe less than half of what comes out of his mouth.

One of the other pundits on the show questioned Joe Cole's fitness, stating that he's still recovering from his injury.

Recovering or not, I hope Harry snaps him up if he is to become available, although I can't see Chelsea letting him go.

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