Liverpool Swap Yossi Benayoun for Joe Cole – Who Got the Better Deal?

When the announcement came that Joe Cole’s contract was not to be renewed by Chelsea, most fans were bitterly disappointed whatever the background circumstances and dealings were.

After the initial shock the two questions were who would replace Joe Cole in the Chelsea squad and where would he go next?

The protracted answer to both questions was the unofficial swap with Liverpool involving Yossi Benayoun; in which Chelsea paid an undisclosed sum for an older and slightly less talented player than has departed.

This does not mean that Yossi Benayoun will not do a good job for Chelsea and achieve success, however he will be replacing a local boy and fans favourite Joe Cole, a player that grew up on the terraces of Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have reportedly paid £5m for 30 year old Yossi Benayoun who has a decent Premier League record and undoubted talent, he will likely take the role of squad player, with the ability to step up when required. This patience and lower wage demands (assumingly) are likely to be the main advantages to his signing by Chelsea.

On the opposite side of the coin Chelsea have lost and Liverpool gained a 28 year old flair player, who cost his new employers only his inflated contract reported at over £90k per week. Joe Cole is likely to expect a regular place in the starting line up, in a position of his preference to showcase his skills, he will also most likely be hoping for his first injury free season in at least a couple of years.

In the terms of the winners and losers in this deal only time will tell, however I believe that if Joe Cole stays fit and is given a central role he will be successful at Anfield meaning that Joe Cole and Liverpool would have got the best part of the deal. However should Joe Cole fail to recover his form or match fitness then Chelsea will have acquired a solid squad player and shed a much loved injury ridden midfielder who does not quite fit into the current tactical set up at Stamford Bridge.