After a busy couple days, you almost can't help it...
Even though there's plenty left to do.
Reactions to the signing of Joe Cole were somewhat mixed---some were elated at the signing, a few thought it to be madness, while a good majority (myself included) were, more than anything, puzzled. I don't think anyone can refute that Cole was and is a tremendous talent with plenty of good days ahead of him. Should he manage to stay fit, he's the type of player that could provide the creative presence Liverpool have sorely needed. The wage he's been rumored to receive is somewhat high, but in the long run (as pointed out by Mikael yesterday in the comments) it might turn out to be a great piece of business.
And it seems to already be reaping some benefits---yesterday we wondered what sort of impact the signing would have on the other top talent at the club, and the hope was basically that it would prove Liverpool were still "good enough" to stay with. Hell of a place to be, but regardless, things seem to be looking up.
Today Steven Gerrard, who, along with Fernando Torres, was one of the names most heavily linked with a move away from Anfield, talked about his feelings on the signing of Cole and his own future:
On Joe Cole:
"It's a great signing for us. I know Joe well through the England set-up and have seen first hand just how good a player he is. He's proved his ability over many years in the Premier League, sometimes against us - so it will be fantastic to play alongside him in a red shirt for Liverpool. I've told him what a great club this is and I'm sure Joe's the sort of exciting talent our fans will love to see.
On his future with Liverpool:
"I made it clear that I simply needed to concentrate on the World Cup and then have a decent holiday with my family. I wanted the chance to meet Roy Hodgson privately and having done so I'm very impressed with his plans for the future of the team. I've only returned to training today at Melwood with some of the other World Cup players, but I can't wait for the new season to start."
Which, I think, calls for at least a half-sigh of relief. The speculation turns out to be just that, and we now know that at least one half of Liverpool's top duo will be back in action for the 2010-2011 season. I'd hope we get similar confirmation and sentiment from Torres, but for now the feeling can be good given that we have something concrete moving forward. Even if it only would have taken an "I'm staying" at any point in the last few months.
The internet is also in a flutter today about another signing for Liverpool---apparently the long-rumored arrival of Danny Wilson from Rangers is imminent. Apparently Wilson didn't travel to Australia with the Rangers squad, which may or may not be a good indicator that the young central defender is on his way.
If if he is indeed on the way, I think it's another solid signing, but it's not likely to arrive without a bit of head-scratching. It would leave the club with a glut of central defenders---Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Daniel Ayala---none of whom are currently linked with a move away from the club. But Wilson's a fine young talent, and if there's a chance to sign him up with the future in mind, the club would be foolish not to.
And the best news of the day, obviously saved for last, is that Liverpool are among the Premier League clubs that have moved to ban vuvuzelas from their ground. I love so much about this link---the fact that my ears can continue their recovery from the World Cup (especially since I watch most matches on my computer with headphones), the fact that I linked to Goal.com for such hard-hitting journalism, and the fact that the picture they used of Arsene Wenger has hypnotized me.
All this good news has me completely derailed, and now I remember there's a friendly with Grasshopper tomorrow. As with the canceled friendly against Al-Hilal, the only way to watch will be LFCTV. Which means streams will be shared tomorrow in a matchday post. Expect to see something a bit earlier in the morning tomorrow.