Former Hammer Joe Cole finally breaks silence on his split loyalties between West Ham and Chelsea

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There is no love lost between West Ham United and Chelsea at the best of times.

There has been plenty of animosity between the two clubs when it comes to players moving between them down the years.

John Terry was an emerging talent under Tony Carr at West Ham’s famed Academy when he up and left for Stamford Bridge at 14.

Terry came from a family of fanatical Hammers fans and went on to become one of the great defenders of his generation.

Homegrown Hammer Frank Lampard was next. Swapping his boyhood club, where Frank Senior was a legend, for the Blues.

Both made it clear how they felt about West Ham everytime the Blues faced the Hammers. Pleasantries were often exchanged between the players and West Ham fans right through to their respective retirements.

Hammer hate for Lampard and Terry but Cole hurt the most

Glen Johnson and Joe Cole followed the pair to Stamford Bridge.

And it was perhaps Cole that hurt the Hammers faithful the most.

Adored by West Ham fans they found it hard to stomach seeing their talismanic captain join Chelsea.

But Cole was more respectful of his former club and their fans when the sides met.

There was one instance where Cole left supporters shocked by aggressively celebrating a goal against West Ham, much to their bemusement.

Cole returned to the club later in his career for a less illustrious spell.

‘He’s one of our own… No he’s one of our own‘

Debate has often raged between West Ham and Chelsea fans as to whether Cole was ‘one of their own’.

The clubs meet in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.

Ahead of the game Cole has finally broken his silence on where his loyalties lay in an interview with FourFourTwo.

“West Ham will always have a special place in my heart, but as a kid you dream of winning trophies,” Cole tells the May 2019 issue of FourFourTwo magazine.

“Playing for Chelsea was really special. It’s a good place to learn, I feel very comfortable there and they’ve been great with me ever since I left in 2010.

The chairman, Bruce Buck, always stayed in touch, and they wanted me back in the building.

“In the same way as when I signed for West Ham as a kid, I just felt like this was the right place to start.”

Swings and roundabouts

But Cole had another revelation which is sure to please both sets of fans given their mutual dislike of Tottenham.

“Staying in London (with Tottenham when leaving Chelsea) would have been the logical thing to do. Harry Redknapp was the manager there, too, so it was a very easy fit.

“But I just didn’t feel it was right, being a West Ham and Chelsea player and then going to play for Tottenham. It would have tarnished everything I did at Chelsea.”

Chelsea may have just edged this one.

But West Ham look to have had the last laugh after turning Blues cast-off Declan Rice into a £70million rated England international.

Swings and roundabouts.