Former England star Joe Cole joins Coventry City

London - Former Chelsea and England star Joe Cole joined third-tier club Coventry City on a free transfer from Aston Villa on Thursday.

Cole has agreed to stay with Coventry until the end of the season after being on loan at the Ricoh Arena since October.

The 34-year-old winger's move to the League One outfit completes his fall from grace since he won the Premier League and FA Cup three times with Chelsea and earned 56 caps for his country.

Cole was regarded as one of the best young English players of his generation when he emerged from the West Ham United youth academy.

But, although he gave glimpses of his vast talent, he never quite lived up to that early billing.

Cole, who joined Villa in 2014, had only made one appearance for them this season after falling out of favour with previous boss Tim Sherwood and current manager Remi Garde.

However, after making seven appearances for Coventry, Sky Blues boss Tony Mowbray believes Cole still has enough quality to play a major role in their challenge for promotion to the Championship.

"Since he joined the club, I've really enjoyed working with Joe and delighted to see him sign on for the rest of the season," Mowbray told Coventry's website.

"He's great to have around the dressing room and the rest of the squad feed off his experience, and I'm sure it'll have a positive impact on our younger players as well.

"I only see his performances for the club getting better and he is a fantastic option to have from now until the end of the season."