• Cole targets unfinished business on return to Liverpool
• Lille and West Ham both interested in signing player
Despite being targeted by West Ham United, Joe Cole has insisted he still wants to prove himself at Liverpool, where he returned this week, after a successful period on loan with Lille.
"When I signed for Liverpool, it startled me a bit," said Cole. "I don't know if I felt the pressure but the city is so in love with football. It's a religion. If I go back, I will be more prepared for it this time."
The Lille coach, Rudi Garcia, however, has expressed an interest in having Cole back at the French club next season, while West Ham, his first club, are also understood to be keen to bring the midfielder to Upton Park. But the 30-year-old told the Daily Mail he has unfinished business in the Premier League with Liverpool.
"I can see why people say [joining Liverpool] is a culture shock. It is a small place but it has this great buzz. How can there not be in a city that has produced five prime ministers and The Beatles?" he said. "The people are so sharp, quite a bit like Londoners really.
"There is still a part of me that would really love to make it work there and I don't want to have a bad spell at Anfield on my CV. But it is out of my hands now. At the minute I can't rule anything in or out. We have got to speak to Liverpool and see what happens there," he concluded.
Roy Hodgson brought Cole to Anfield on a free transfer from Chelsea, but having failed to impress in his first season he was sent on loan to Lille by the then manager Kenny Dalglish. Cole impressed and now Garcia would like to have him back for next season.
"From a sporting angle we would like to keep him," said Garcia, who is resigned to losing his Belgian playmaker Eden Hazard in a multi-million deal during the summer. "But he does not belong to us and he has not discussed matters with Liverpool.
"It is a very fluid situation. The only certainty for the moment is that he is returning to Liverpool, the club to which he belongs."
Cole added about his season in France: "I've definitely broaden my horizons. I managed to do an interview the other day completely in French. It's very basic but it's just the aspect of living in another country.
"Now I can appreciate the difficulties that foreign players have coming to England. We have got this great league on our doorstep and I am glad I have experienced it. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome. But this is something we will be able to look back on with great fondness. Who is to say it is going to end?
"It was exactly what I needed. It is a bit slower, a bit more tactical. But this has helped me gain confidence in my body again. I have been able to learn about the tactical side of the game. Foreign players tend to embrace that more than we do."
Nonetheless, he is aware a return to the Premier League would still require a step up. "I will have to do extra work because it will be going back to that 100mph pace but I'm sure it will be OK," he explained.
"It's not England, it's not Spain – they are the two top leagues. But it is comparable with Germany and Italy. This is a very good league. Now I have got to keep thinking ahead."
Cole also remains optimistic about securing a place at the Olympic Games, despite Hodgson not naming him for the Euro 2012 squad. "I haven't played for England for two years," he said. "I know there is a new manager but I was never contacted. I heard there were strange things going on with the odds of me being cut to make the squad and that made me think 'maybe'.
"But I have got my eyes on the Olympics now. I am in the mix and it would be amazing to play in that but, again, it is out of my hands. We will just have to wait and see what happens. Whatever is the case, it has been a great year it has been a great season. I am delighted with how things have gone." Read More
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