Published 22:29 30/08/11
By David Anderson
Joe Cole has been handed a chance to relaunch his flagging career with a surprise switch from Liverpool to Lille.
He is in talks over a loan move to the French champions for the rest of the season after becoming the most high-profile victim of Kenny Dalglish’s £110million refit of Liverpool.
The former Chelsea and England midfielder knew he had to leave Anfield when he was not even a substitute for last week’s Carling Cup tie at Exeter.
Lille can offer Champions League football and have been drawn in the same group as Inter Milan, ÂTrabzonspor and CSKA Moscow.
Liverpool are prepared to fund part of Cole’s £90,000-a-week wages during his 10 months in northern France.
Cole, 29, who is also wanted by Spurs and QPR, feels playing for Lille would put him back in the shop window after a miserable 13 months on Merseyside and has travelled to France for talks.
Cole was one of the summer’s hottest transfer targets when he signed for Liverpool last July after being released by Chelsea and fans welcomed his capture as a major coup for the club.
However he was sent off on his Premier League debut and his career went Âdownhill from there. His fortunes continued to nosedive when Dalglish succeeded Roy Hodgson in January and he managed just one league start under the new boss, on the final day of last season at Aston Villa.
Cole’s fall from grace cost him his England place and he feels he still has something to offer the Three Lions.
He has not managed a place on the bench this season with Dalglish investing heavily in Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam.
Dalglish sympathised with Cole’s plight and will not stand in his way if an acceptable offer comes in.
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Liverpool-Joe-Cole-Lille-loan-part-funded-wages-article793386.html