Liverpool rubber-stamped the signing of Joe Cole on a four-year contract after the England midfielder passed his medical on Wednesday.
Cole had already agreed personal terms on Monday after being released by Chelsea and flew to the club’s training camp in Switzerland to undergo his physical checks.
The 28-year-old has been allocated the number 10 shirt and should make his Premier League debut for the Reds in their season opener against Arsenal on August 15.
Meanwhile, boss Roy Hodgson has confirmed Swiss defender Philipp Degen will be allowed to leave Anfield.
“We have had an amicable conversation with Philipp and he wants to play football. We won’t stand in his way and he is free to look for another club.”
ashley cole to stay at chelsea
London: Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has dashed Jose Mourinho’s hopes of luring Ashley Cole to Real Madrid by insisting the England defender is not for sale.
Cole has been linked with a move to Real since former Chelsea boss Mourinho took charge at the Spanish club earlier in the close-season.
It has been reported that Cole is unhappy with life in England in the aftermath of his separation from pop star wife Cheryl and was considering a move away from the Premier League to avoid any more media intrusion into his private life.
{{/usCountry}}It has been reported that Cole is unhappy with life in England in the aftermath of his separation from pop star wife Cheryl and was considering a move away from the Premier League to avoid any more media intrusion into his private life.
{{/usCountry}}“Ashley Cole is not for sale,” Buck told The Guardian on Wednesday.
“That is the bottom line. There’s no doubt that he’s going to be a Chelsea player this season.”