• Premier League

Joe Cole can make 'big contribution' at Liverpool - Clarke

ESPNsoccernet staff
July 18, 2011
Joe Cole has been lively in pre-season © PA Photos
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Liverpool assistant manager Steve Clarke believes Joe Cole still has a "big contribution" to make at Anfield.

Cole joined Liverpool on a free transfer from Chelsea last summer and was expected to prove a shrewd acquisition by then-manager Roy Hodgson. But the midfielder struggled for form on Merseyside, making just nine Premier League starts, which sparked speculation that he could be moved on this summer.

However, Clarke said: "At the end of last season he was not getting in the team because the team was playing well. But he has gone away, trained hard and had a good summer.

"Joe Cole is a top international player and he has a big contribution to make to the future. He is the same Joe Cole I coached at Chelsea, just a couple of years older and a little bit wiser.

"He knows the position he is in. It has been difficult for him because he has not been involved but when he gets the chance it is up to him to take it."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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