I'm going to have to disagree.
Joe Cole was never one of the top 20 players in World Football. He was possibly one of the top 50 in the Premiership for a couple of seasons, at a push. He's very skillful but his brain isn't all there and he doesn't have the pace.
If we're still in the Championship next year I'd be happy to see him replace Lopez (if he leaves). If we're in the Premiership we can do better, younger.
From 2004-06 he was outstanding and certainly a top 20 premier league player at minimum, was he as good as Vicente? Probably not, but he wasn't far off and its a decent comparison in my view.