Cole happy to be back where it started
Joe Cole said it was "surreal" to be returning to West Ham, ten years after he left the club. The midfielder has agreed an 18-month contract with the Hammers and said: "It is great to be back where I started and very surreal, walking out on pitches where I played when I was at under-13s."
Cole left the Hammers in 2003 just after they had been relegated to the Championship. "You want to come back and put things right," he said. "It is all about the club moving on, to consolidate in the Premier League, that is the main goal. The way they have played is brilliant."
Cole played at the last World Cup and hopes to get back in the England squad: "I need to get playing first, and probably will need three or four matches to get back to top level. I will always harbour those ambitions because I love playing for my country, but it will be down to performance."
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