JOE COLE says he is prepared to move into management in non-league – after coaching Brentford’s Under-16 side without receiving a penny.
The former Chelsea, West Ham and Liverpool man is a regular pundit for TNT Sports.
But Cole wants to get stuck into management and is not fazed by heading down the pyramid to get his first big break.
The ex-England man has been earning his stripes in West London, where he has been coaching Premier League side Brentford’s U16s unpaid.
And Cole is prepared to take the UEFA Pro Licence when he is handed a full-time role – even if it means having to drop into non-league.
He told the Mail: “I’m ready. I’ll do it for sure. It’s just a case of the right opportunity.
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“I’ve got to be realistic, six years into a punditry career, there ain’t Championship clubs going, ‘There you go, there’s a £20million-a-year budget’.”
Cole, 44, won three Premier League titles and as many FA Cups during a glittering career.
He played under the likes of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Claudio Ranieri and Harry Redknapp before hanging up his boots.
And Cole will take lessons he learnt from each of his former managers when he attempts to make his mark in the dugout.
He added: “There’s a lot of these new coaches and buzz words go around.
“And everyone starts saying the same thing because they feel a need to sound clever by talking about false nines and inverted full-backs.
“Business people come into football, and they love it and want to be close to it, and I feel like they get mesmerised by these words and these coaches. It’s like hypnosis.
“Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho, their tactical detail was minimal. Just the right amount. Two or three points. Enough to win a game.
“Their genius was keeping the whole group together. They did it in very different ways. And I think we need a little bit more of that.”
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