Cole Kops £4m to make Hammers return

JOE COLE will get a £4million pay-off from Liverpool to join West Ham for nothing.

The free transfer to Upton Park ends the midfielder’s miserable spell at Anfield.

The Reds are giving Cole, 31, a year’s wages to get him off the books. West Ham will take over the remaining 18 months of his £90,000-a-week deal.

Last night, Cole was having a medical and could sign in time to play in Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Manchester United.

The former England star, who joined Liverpool in 2010, has not started a Premier League game this season and spent all of the 2011-12 campaign on loan at French side Lille.

Cole was groomed in the youth ranks at Upton Park and played 126 games for them before joining Chelsea for £6.5m in 2003.

And Nicolas Anelka has priced himself out of a move to Upton Park after demanding £100,000 a week for a six-month stay.

Anelka, 33, is sulking at China’s Shanghai Shenhua after a series of bust-ups.

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce admitted after Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Norwich he “loved the player”.

But he added: “The finances are a problem. We can only do what the owners can afford.”