I didn't feel connected to Liverpool like I did Chelsea - I wish I'd never signed for them

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A former Liverpool midfielder previously reflected on his time at Anfield, admitting he never felt a connection with the club and probably should not have left Chelsea for MerseysideJoe Cole previously confessed his absence of affinity with Liverpool meant he should never have joined the club following his departure from Chelsea. He featured in just 42 matches for the club before making a return to West Ham in 2013.It was following his re-signing for the Hammers that the former England international, 43, disclosed joining Liverpool initially was an error because he lacked the enthusiasm to represent the Premier League giants.READ MORE: Anthony Taylor admits he considered quitting refereeing as he addresses Chelsea v Liverpool decisionHe said at the time: "I can only play for teams that I'm passionate about and I think that's what went wrong for me at Liverpool.

I didn't feel a connection with the club or the place that I had at Chelsea and West Ham."Discussing his media duties upon joining the Reds, he was told by the interviewer he was joining the biggest country in England - a sentiment Cole admitted he thought was false despite initially agreeing with it."When I joined, the guy interviewing me said 'you've joined the biggest club in the country' and reeled off the trophies they'd won," he explained, reports the Mirror."I just said 'yeah, if you put it like that, I suppose you're right' and Liverpool used that as the headline to the interview. I didn't want to upset anyone so I just went along with it.

During his 2024 appearance on The Obi One Podcast, hosted by former Chelsea team-mate John Obi Mikel, Cole disclosed that a severe knee injury in 2009 meant he was never the same player again for the rest of his career.He stated: "I was never the same player after that. "I had a choice between Liverpool or Spurs because Arsenal pulled out and I just couldn't go to Spurs," he added."If I could have my time again, I would probably go, 'No, you know what, wait.' And I'd have gone abroad, somewhere hot, because playing in the heat actually helped my knee."