Soccer:Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has reaffirmed his commitment to the club and says he is "very impressed" with new manager Roy Hodgson's plans.
Gerrard, along with Fernando Torres, has been linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, with Real Madrid said to be among his suitors.
But after Hodgson revealed the midfielder had played a key role in luring Joe Cole to the club, Gerrard says it will be "fantastic to play alongside him in a red shirt for Liverpool".
He added: "It is 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.
"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."
Of his own future, he said: "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."
Hodgson had earlier said: "Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard did a good job in selling the club to Joe at the recent World Cup.
"He was undecided about what he wanted to do and to be fair it takes a bit more selling to persuade a Londoner who has played all his life in London to move up to Liverpool.
"The simple solution would have been to stay in the London area."
He added: "I am pleased to get the player because it is very important to try to improve our squad as much as we can in order to reach the high goals we have set ourselves.
"It is also pleasing the reaction of the fans has been as positive as our reaction, so at the moment that is perfect.
"Now it is up to Joe to show on the field he is the right man."
Carragher, meanwhile, feels the signing of Cole proved a point to their Premier League rivals who maybe thought the club were on the slide after a disappointing seventh-placed finish.
"It's great news and it is a message that Liverpool mean business," said the 32-year old. "We have signed a top international player who has been really important for Chelsea.
"A lot of clubs wanted to sign him but it is a real coup that he has chosen to come here and you have got to give the manager and the board a pat on the back for convincing him to come here.
"Every supporter that I have spoken to is absolutely delighted and all the players are the same - it's given everyone a boost, just at the right time.
"It has been a long summer and we have been in a transitional period but now the World Cup is out of the way, we can start to look forward again.
"The fact we have got him has given everyone a boost around the city. It's good news again and, hopefully, there will be more to come.
"It's the kind of signing that we needed to make."