Liverpool improves chances, Benefits of Cole deal
There is a group of people who think that this finally may well be Liverpool’s year. They are already a better team than last year but they still need a proper, marauding left-back, some more depth and strength in their side, and not to mention match winners from the bench. Milan Jovanovic and Joe Cole are two massive bargain deals that Liverpool has pulled off (although there is a circle that believes Jovanovic could become the new Voronin) and could help in convincing their established mega stars that their club still has the hunger and possess ambition.
Alberto Aquilani is also a sublime talent and after a full pre-season training under his belt, as well as being much more acquainted with his surroundings this time around he could really make an impact. As things stand Hodgson can now field a team featuring Pepe Reina in goal, Johnson and Agger as full backs, Carragher and Skrtel as centre backs, Mascherano, Aquilani, Cole and Jovanovic in the midfield and Torres and Gerrard up front, and this by no means is a bad team, it’s as good as any in the Premier League.
About the swap that turned out to be between Yossi Benayoun and Joe Cole, Liverpool may have the best of deals. They got a player who can win matches on his own.
The first myth to be dispelled is that of Cole’s youth. He is 28 years old and Yossi is 30 so none of the players are in their prime. But in a year or so when the age takes its toll on the legs, Yossi won’t be running as fast as he does now and neither will Cole. But still Cole has much more in his armoury than Yossi and Israel’s finest may well be retiring much before Cole hangs up his boots.
Chelsea has never been smartest in the transfer market and they might have made a mess of it once again. They have the money but they don’t know how to spend it. Liverpool, also have their own set of financial problems, but Hodgson is a shrewd manager, and although he does not have the same legacy as Ancelotti, he certainly has gotten the better of the Italian in the Cole deal.
Let’s consider the financial aspects of this deal, Benny cost Chelsea 5 million pounds with bonuses and add-ons raising it up to 7 million and his wage band will be around 70k. With the transfer fee spread over three years of his contract (which Abrahamovic doesn’t usually honour but this time he may well have to, given the new rules regarding the underwriting losses) Yossi has cost the London Blues around 6 million a year including wages and add-ons.
In Cole’s case, he is guaranteed first team football week in week out and will cost Liverpool no transfer fee and supposed wages of around 90k which will work out to be around 4 million a year. So just on that front Cole will be saving Liverpool 2 million a year.
The conclusion is, Liverpool have paid less money and got the better player .Yossi is a fantastic talent too but he is not the same anymore and combine that with the frustration of being on the bench, the situation is going to get a little worse for the Israeli. Perhaps the roles are reversed, what Cole was doing for Chelsea will now be done by Yossi and what Yossi was doing for Liverpool will now be done by Cole, perhaps a little better.
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