Footabll : I don't want to play for you again, says Cole
Published : 1 Aug, 06
ASHLEY COLE has paved the way for a move to Chelsea by telling David Dein that he does not want to play for Arsenal again. Although stopping short of issuing a formal transfer request, the England defender made it clear in talks with the Arsenal vice-chairman at the training ground yesterday that he is desperate to leave the club he joined as a schoolboy, a message he will reaffirm in a meeting with Arsène Wenger , the manager, today.
It is also understood that he took the opportunity to say goodbye to several members of the club’s backroom staff who he has known for the best part of a decade, in anticipation that a hugely controversial move can be forced through by the end of the week.
Wenger, who was in Austria last night — where his team beat Schwadorf, a local side, 8-1 — insisted that the club would make the decision over Cole’s future, not the player
“If Ashley is going to be sold he will be informed and if he is staying he will be informed about that as well,” Wenger said. “He is still under contract and no one else will decide what he does. He was only at the training ground for one hour because he told somebody he was sick. From what I understand he is not well.”
It is indicative of Cole’s state of mind that he chose the first day back from his honeymoon in the Seychelles to hold talks with Dein, with whom he has endured a difficult relationship since discussions over a new contract first broke down 18 months ago. In a civil meeting, Cole told Dein of his desire to leave and expressed the view that his position at Arsenal had become untenable, as a result of his perception that the club had failed to support him during contract talks and in the fallout from the tapping-up affair.
Cole’s relationship with Wenger is considerably closer, but he also feels let down by the Frenchman and will make a similar statement to him today. The player trained on his own yesterday before retiring early with a stomach upset.
Chelsea had a £16 million bid rejected last week — £1 million more than the amount that Cole was told he could leave for when signing a contract extension 12 months ago — and are biding their time before returning with another offer.
With Dein insisting that Cole would stay at the club if a price could not be agreed, Arsenal are holding out for £25 million, but their negotiating position is not as strong as it might appear and they will be anxious to complete the deal by next Tuesday, even though the transfer window is open until August 31.
The club have until Thursday to register a 25-man squad with Uefa for next week’s Champions League qualifier against Dynamo Zagreb, and though Cole’s inclusion does not commit them to anything, the decision to play him in the game cannot be taken so lightly. If he remains at the club next week, Wenger will be faced with a lose-lose situation, with both options — leaving him out to prevent him from becoming cup-tied or playing him regardless, thus making him ineligible for Chelsea — reducing his transfer value.
Chelsea are willing to go as high as £20 million, but will not be rushed into a second bid as time is on their side. Having done his best to engineer a move, Cole is on the brink of getting what he wants, a £90,000-a-week, five-year contract alongside his England team-mates at Chelsea, though he can still expect a difficult season.
The 25-year-old has become used to being booed by Arsenal fans, but even that will not prepare him for the torrent of abuse he will receive as he follows in the footsteps of Sol Campbell by making a high-profile move across London.
Fortunately for Cole he is considerably more thick-skinned, and he will have to be.
Arsenal have offered a trial to Illiasu Shilla, the Ghana defender. The 23-year-old centre half, who played in all four of his country’s World Cup finals matches, will be allowed to leave Kotoko for about £500,000.
Courtesy:- www.timesonline.co.uk
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