Joe Cole has insisted his move to Liverpool was not motivated by money – he simply wanted to join ‘the biggest club in the country’.

‘History’: Joe Cole chose Liverpool because they ‘are the biggest club’ in the UK

Much was made of Cole’s reported £90,000-a-week wage demands when the England international ­became a free agent after his ­release by Chelsea.

But Cole revealed the memory of playing at Anfield for Chelsea in the 2005 Champions League semi-final, which Liverpool won ­before going on to lift the European Cup in Istanbul, clinched the deal for him.

‘I tried to take everything out of the equation, take the financial and location side out of it and just thought in football terms,’ said the England midfielder, who has signed a four-year contract.




‘I thought about the Champions League semi-final when I ran on the field and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was thinking about playing in that atmosphere every week – that swung it for me.

‘I could have stayed at Chelsea. The fans loved me and I won things, but I wanted to challenge myself. When I knew Liverpool were interested it was a no-brainer. They are the biggest club in the country.’

The signing of Cole is a coup for new manager Roy Hodgson, who has also completed the signing of Rangers defender Danny Wilson. The 18-year-old joins in a deal worth £2million up front with a further £3million ­dependent on appearances and add-ons.

The arrival of Hodgson has caught the ­attention of arch-rivals Manchester United and their veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs, who said: ‘They have a new manager and it’s difficult to say what they’re going to do.

‘It’s dangerous to write off a team with ­Liverpool’s ­history. They are a huge club and a massive team.’