Former
England midfielder has stepped down from a role at Chelsea’s academy and has big plans
The thought of Joe Cole managing is intriguing. At West Ham he was a prodigy who lacked the end product and awareness to go with his imagination on the ball. He was a success at
Chelsea, adding substance and oomph to his game under José Mourinho, but it was often hard not to wonder whether English
Football truly knew what to do with him. There was a sense he had more to give, if only he had received a touch more guidance in his youth and more freedom to express himself when he was older.
One criticism was that Cole did not have enough tactical intelligence to play as a No 10. At West Ham no trick was beyond his capabilities but he never scored more than five goals a season. At international level he was often stuck on the left and played in conservative England sides. The highlight of his England career was a spectacular volley against
Sweden at the 2006 World Cup; it never got much better than that.