Chelsea have Arsenal in a bind over Ashley Cole
A point I wanted to add (after reading ArseBlog’s comments on the Chelsea-Arsenal impasse):
Ashley Cole is not worth a pound over 10-12 mil.
Granted, I’m not in club management but even 15 mil sounds too much for a fullback. If Arsenal are actually holding out for more than 15 mil, they are idiots. If they are holding out for 15 mil while Chelsea are willing to pay 10 or 12, it’s still dumb.
The price for strikers is always high. Ibrahimovic just made a 16.7 mil move from Juve to Inter - Drogba was overpriced, yes, but he bought for a reason and he has fulfilled that reason (albeit not entirely) as a target man for Chelsea (highest assists for last season?).
While Chelsea are known to buy expensive and sell cheap, for SWP and Drogba we also see Essien, a player worth every pound Chelsea paid for him.
There’s another scenario as well - that Arsenal are actually asking for something very outrageous, like 20 mil. That much? For a defender? Who wants to leave?
Chelsea hold the cards here, NOT Arsenal. If Chelsea walk away from the table, Arsenal have only Madrid to sell Cole to, and they won’t be paying as much as Chelsea are offering now.
We can’t say anything for sure until we know all the details, but Arsenal need to close the deal fast, no matter what the cost.
That is, unless they still think they can salvage the situation with Ashley Cole (how?) and still buy players even if Cole is not sold (really? who?).
- The Ashley Cole Auction
- Chelsea Make Space For Ashley Cole
- What Is Ashley Cole’s Problem With Arsenal?
- Arsenal & Chelsea close in on Cole deal
- Do Arsenal fans still give a f*** about Chelsea’s Cashley Cole?
Discussion - 31 Responses
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Chelsea paid £20m for Carvalho.
you damn rite!
personally I think you have it wrong, I think its arsenal who have chelski over a barrel, the chavs want cole, arsenal dont really want to sell so put up a price that they would be willing to lose him for, so its in the chavs court, pay the price or shut up… after all, its not as if they have cash problems is it otherwise they wouldnt pay 21mil for someone just to sit on the bench, would they ???
Long term arsenal fan for my sins. have to agree cole isn’t worth 15mil. I wouldn’t want him for £5 but what I do want is arsenal to keep him. If wenger wants 25mil for him and chelski are offering 10mil keep cole and let him play reserver football until they get the money they want. He has 2 years left on his contract and he didn’t cost the club anything in the transfer market. I would keep him, let him stew and it send out a message to other players and clubs!!
How can you say Essien is worth every penny Chelsea paid for him? What has he done so far for them (Bruce Lee impressions notwithstanding)?
And as for 20 million being an outrageous figure for a defender, how much did Chelsea pay for Carvalho? 19.6m or something like that, so 20m for a full international, arguably the best in his position in the world, is not too much. Consider the going rate for full backs (10-12m for Zambrotta) and then add AT LEAST 8m for the fact that he is English.
Chelsea have paid ridiculous amounts for a huge number of players and the only reason they are playing hardball now is because it is Arsenal they are dealing with. There is no love lost between the 2 clubs.
wake up! you really think SWP´s value was £21 mil? If you (Chelsea) pay that for guy who has stitces in his arse from sitting the bench they will pay £ 25 mil for a guy whos first team regular.
I think you’re mising the point, dear boy. Or rather a couple of points.
Firstly, I think you have to understand that Arsenal is an ambitious club. And it follows that it will not contemplate doing business unless it benefits the club.
Ashley Cole just happens to be the best left back in the world, not just because he’s competent defensively but also because he pushes rather swiftly up into wide left midfield giving a team an instant 3:4:3 shape going forward. That’s a rare quality and gives any team he plays for an immense firepower going forward.
So yes, you’re right. The sums you quote do seem exorbitant for your average left back. Chelsea already have at least one of those.
Arsenal wouldn’t sell him to anyone if the net result was likely to be a substantial weakening of the squad. But selling to Chelsea at a relatively low price would, arguably, be to concede the title to Chelsea before a ball is kicked. Amitious clubs just don’t do that. Any deal would have to be on substantially favourable terms - at a price that would allow the club to increase the quality of the squad on a net basis.
You may argue that Ashley Cole is no longer an Arsenal player, having indicated that he will never play for the club again. That is certainly the view of the Chelsea management.
Arsenal Football Club might say that this is a risk worth taking. If he’s still on strike by Christmas then that’s several weeks wages down the drain. The club can afford that and in the long run it will be a cheaper option than rank defeatism. At Christmas he could be sold for the sums you suggest. But not, I would suggest, to Chelsea.
I beg to differ,. Arsenal holds the card. The biggest loser is Cole who stupiditly did some childish stunts that destroy relationship with Arsenal completely. Real Mardrid will buy Cole at a lower price in 6months times because of aging Roberto Carlos at almost 36. Arsenal would rather sell Cole to Real Mardrid then to Chelsea to lose $$ because it will hamper their EPL championship.
Chelsea have agreed to let Wayne leave because Morinho does not see Wayne fit his expectation of a world class leftback. Morinho failed in developing Horner and Horner had to go back to spain a year later. Gallas wouldnt be probably playing in left back which he hates. So Chelsea will face a problem, left back which all premier teams will expliot. As for Arsenal, they have justin Hoyes and Flamini to cover up Cole. Clitchy will be back in few months. So who do you think lose more? I think Chelsea lose out more. They have no player in their mind to replace Cole option. So they have no choice but to agree to 25mill asking price. Though it is ridiculous, it is Arseanl’s decision for Cole is a property under Arsenal for the remaining 2 years. Arsenal has the right not to reduce demands.
In fact Shevchenko ,$30mill pound is I think much much more ridiculous than Coles’s asking price by Arsenal. $30mill for 31years old? that would be probably the worst transfer history in the world because Shevchenko has never played in EPL for continues weeks and months which is extremely physical and draining unlike Italy Series. Furthermore he cant run faster or twist dribble better than Ashely..
Why is Ashley Cole not worth more than £16m that Chelsea have supposedly bid? Just because he’s a defender?
Thats a stupid theory. It doesn’t matter what position you play it matters on how important a player you can be for that team. He is widely regarded as the best left back in the world right now. So why shouldn’t the best left back be in the same price bracket as the best midfielder or best forward.
Buffon, a goal keeper went for well over £20m didn’t he. But according to you they aren’t worth that. Rio Ferdinand cost Man U £30m? And he isn’t regarded as the best central defender is he?
Fact is Chelsea won’t pay that because it’s Arsenal they are buying from. Surely position for position Cole is better than SWP? and he was £24m. Same theory for Drogba and Essien. Cole would be a more important player for you than either of those two and SWP.
Perhaps Chelsea are scared of giving that much money to Arsene Wenger, has assembled teams that have won the double and went unbeaten on a mere pittance compared to what chelsea have paid out. Imagine what he’d with another £20m quid.
Another thing is Arsenal don’t really need the cash as such. Cole cost us nothing. If he walks out in 2 years, who cares. We’ll have had his best years out of him really. Even if he plays reserve football, who is realy missing out - the club or the player? We have 3/4 players that can play left back….
Chelsea have Arsenal in a bind? Me no think so - it’s the other way around pal. Cole is ARSENAL’s player, and as long as that is the case they hold all the cards. So what if Chelsea won’t up their offer? Arsenal just hold on to the player.
Chelsea paid £22m for SWP, £20m for Carvalho, £17m for Duff, £24m for Drogba, £24m for Essien etc. etc. but aren’t willing to pay more than £16m for arguably the world’s best left back?
It’s obvious Cole wants out, and it’s obvious Arsenal refuse to let Chelsea think they can call the shots. In my opinion, sell Cole to Barca or Real for £15m; that will hack Chelsea off and show they’re not the ‘force’ they seem to think they are. Using someone else’s money to try and buy the entire world doesn’t mean you’re a mega force in football - it means you’re a circus act.
Perhaps Just for once in the unsavoury world of football finance and Chelsea’s Belligerent disregard for the rules, someone is saying, bugger it we will have compensation for the upset and unrest your illegal actions have caused, Maybe also Mr Cole has to be taught that despite his histrionics a contract is a contract, Mr Wenger is known for honouring his, why shouldn’t he demand the same from other contracted club employees, even if they wear the fancy title of footballer, Whether this compensation is monetary or disciplinary IE, Cole staying put until the board determines otherwise, is as it should be the decision of arsenal. Good luck to them, its time someone stood up to the posturings of the Russian money man’s poodles
You’re kidding yourself if you think Arsenal don’t hold all the cards with Cashley. What’s Chelski’s alternative now that Del Horno’s gone and Gallas wants to go across London to The Emirates? That leaves the fat Brazilian dwarf from Real Madrid coming to Stamford Bridge…and Cashley going to Madrid.
Be afraid, be very afraid
But two things - One, what if the rumours are true and Arsenal are actually asking for 25 mil, or worse, asking for Gallas in return? Do you think Chelsea would do that? Pay 25 mil for a left-back when they could a) increase Gallas’s wages, and b) Pick up Abidal if they tried (not likely)?
Two, I don’t think Chelsea want Cole as badly as we all think they do. Who would you bet on for doing better in the Premiership this season, Chelsea without Cole or Arsenal with Cole? Undoubtedly, the former. Chelsea are not afraid of their Premiership status, they want the Champions League. Cole will be the third player they would get for that goal (Ballack and Sheva being the first two), but if they already have most of what they need, why pay 25 mil?
Actually, to put this into perspective, there’s an excellent point made by Alasdair Reid (although I doubt this was his intention):
Would you sell Cole to Chelsea for 15 mil or to Madrid for 10 mil? Or would you rather that he walked after two years, refusing to sign any transfer deals or renew his contract? It would be a very, very bad business decision to not sell him to the highest bidder right now. The longer you wait, the lower his value gets.
My point is that it is Arsenal who have more to lose by playing hardball than Chelsea - who can afford to sit and wait.
Remember, this is not all about money, there is a lot of bad blood between the two clubs and this could just be their way of twisting the knife before finally pulling it out.
Ahmed Bile - Obviously a plastic chelski fan. Why would Arsenal really be doing that badly by holding onto COle? If they sell him to Madrid in Jan or a years time for only £8-10m it’s still pure profit.
He cost us absolutely nothing. It’s not as if we paid £10-15m ourselves and need to recoupe that and a profit.
Arsenal are in a good position. Chelsea have very little options for LB. It’s obvious Mourinho doesn’t really rate Bridge and Gallas has made it clear he won’t play LB…and has suggested leaving because of it?
If Mourinho can go and find a left back as good as cole for less than what arsenal are now asking then he’ll be lucky to do so…..he isn’t the best talent scout going by records. I think the best players consistently were bought by Ranieri!
Troublemakers are usually offloaded for a pittance. Why are Arsenal insisting on money they don’t need?
If he stays he has to be paid 60k a week. That’s 6 million in 2 years for a reserve. And all the aggro from him. Don’t be daft.
After watching England at the World Cup, an English player should have a 2 million penalty, not a premium.
If Arsenal demands a fee that allows for a better replacement, how can Cole be best in the world then? Simple. He isn’t. Zambrotta and Grosso are better left backs and what was their price this summer? Way, way less than Arsenal ask.
Divide 25 million by 3. That’s about right for an injury prone troublemaker who the fans now despise. If Chelsea bid more than that, bite their hand off. There’s no alternative.
Mourinho may not be able to sign as good a left back as Cole, I agree, but his team is in a stronger position than Arsenal here, they can afford to wait.
Arsenal, if they are going to lose Cole, should be thinking about making the max. profit. I think it comes down to whether they can get enough money out of Chelsea or whether they can sell him to Madrid instead.
Mijatovic is in town discussing Reyes - what are the chances that Dein will pitch Cole to him as well?
Depends on where Cole wants to go too - don’t know if he’d be willing to jump to Spain.
Arsenal offered Asheley Cole to Real Madrid for a lower price then the one they are demanding from Chelsea but i guess Mijatovic & Capello did not want to follow up on it since there has been nothing reported. i think it was €20mill. from Madrid and €30mill from Chelsea.
Bile,
Have you considered the fact Arsenal are trying to lower Cole’s value and thereby force him to toe the clubs line? Remember his England place is also in jeopardy, the less regular 1st team football he gets the worse his situation becomes. Moreso as Arsenal may (arguably) miss his left wing forays, but he didnt cost a penny so even £500,000 still represents a healthy profit on the whining git. By the time Mourinho realises it not only will Chelsea be technically weaker (no left back to match the quality in other positions) but also with the word going around that you CAN force Chelsea to pay what you want if they really need the player…..
And your approach (and that of a majority of vocal Arsenal fans) on Cole is unnecessarily self-destructive and borne out of vengeance against both Cole and Chelsea rather than a realistic appraisal of the financial aspects of the situation.
So bring something intelligent to the table instead of ‘we want to teach Chelsea and Cole a lesson’, because if it comes down to that Chelsea can just walk away from the deal and then Arsenal will be forced to keep paying a twat who doesn’t want to play for them and whose mere presence is a disruption for the squad.
I think Arsenal makes very high bid.
that is not fair responsibility for the player Cole.
price is not fair for defender cole.
but at the same time chelsea give to them very good offer.
i think Arsenal will be must fetch this type of problem by chelsea.
bilal,
Have you forgoten about a certain carrick who cost you way too much, about £10m too much. the reasons for that,
1. your a premiership team and why sell a valuable player for a reasonable price when you can get over-the-top price for him.you sell them cheap your losing out, whilst they will be gaining.
2. if you are desperate and want the best (like man utd and chelsea do) they will pay what it takes. chelsea don’t have the quality in wayne bridge, that showed yesterday against celtic, they consider themselves to be the best in the premiership, they want the best players to back that view, ashley cole is, wayne bridge isn’t. so they will have to do what it takes to get the best. the best don’t come cheap and especially to chelsea because of the money they have in abromovich.
3.cole was the instigator of the meetings, so why give him what he wants, if he leaves it should be on arsenal’s terms and not cole’s, afterall he is contracted to them.if he sits in the reserves it will be him who suffers not arsenal because who will be picked for their national team if they are in the reserves (theo walcott, that was sven, mcClaren won’t be like that, he has already dropped him to the U’21s), his reputation will be damaged. afterall who wants a back stabber in their team, unless your back stabbers yourself. chelsea.
i would sell him to real madrid for £12m - £15m, to annoy chelsea and cole. we get rid of a player we don’t want and chelsea still need a top quality left back. everyone wins.
Bile stop being so touchy!!
Pol Pot - point taken
Ahmed Bilal
Why settle for second best when you can have the best, if chelsea walk away, arsenal have the best, chelsea don’t. if it costs you more then so be it. at the end of the day you pay for what you get.the more money the better quality.
I still think Arsenal should sell Cole to Madrid - if he goes. But if Cole refuses to go to Spain, then it comes down to good business (assuming that Cole will only go to Chelsea) - sell him now, for the highest possible price. As the transfer window closes, Arsenal could very well lower their demands to ensure that they get the best possible deal out of it.
Good business is not selling your best players to your closest rivals even if we receive less money from madrid than chelsea.i think it’s a vicious circle we want as much money as we can get out of them, at the same time they don’t want to give us the money to go out and find replacements at low prices who in time will be future world class because wenger has a knack of finding these players for such a small fee and improving them tenfold.
Drogba 24m, Carvalho 20m, SWP 21m and even Ferreira (surprise another defender there) 13m. Cole is England’s first choice LB who is in his prime and has tons of international and european experience. Therefore I would rather GIVE him away to Madrid than sell him to you Chelski cunts for 10mil!!!
The facade is peeling every minute and some Arsenal fans still can’t read the handwriting on the wall? Henry at his press conference was already talking as though Ashley is gone, as understandably painful as it is for him. And now, Ashley Cole has been left out of the official squad photograph of Arsenal. What do all these point to?
Let’s face the facts, the moment Arsene Wenger opened his mouth to say he’d want this sorted “one way or the other� within this week, it was clear that Arsenal had blinked first in the stare-down with Chelsea. Leaving Cole out of the Zagreb clash was only a confirmation. Chelsea’s subsequent actions – Mourinho’s comments and the Chelsea’s official statement – are only meant to exploit the chink in Arsenal’s armour. All the indications are that if there’s going to be any compromise Arsenal would be the ones doing most of it, because they’ve showed every step of the way that Chelsea’s resolve is breaking them bit by bit.
Just a matter of time, Ashley is Stamford Bridge bound.
The whole point is… Ashley Cole wants to leave.
If Arsenal don’t sell him, they will have a severely unsettled player who is worth about 16-17 million sitting on the bench waiting to be taken for free by the club offering the highest wages (undoubtably Chelsea).
Arsenal need to stop posturing and let him go for the price Chelsea are willing to pay, because otherwise they will make no money and will delay the progression of young players that they are eventually going to have to resort to using anyway.
The ball is in Chelsea’s court.
Arsenal fans really missing the point here - chelsea want cole, but not that badly and they don’t want to give another leading english club more than the already very decent 16m (remember, his value is going down the nearer we get to deadline). so they’re holding firm.
arsenal are the ones who need to sell. they need the cash and chelsea are the only buyers on the market. given the facts, kenyon and mourino are playing this one perfectly. cole has made life very difficult for dein by being a twat, and chelsea are taking advantage. i don’t know why arsenal don’t just take the cash - wenger could do a lot with 16m, but he needs to be able to spend it now, not in january. silly posturing by the goons, could be costly.
Arsenal does not want to do business with Chelsea which is very obvious why Arsenal quote the price of 25million price.Arsenal is willing to make loss further by selling to other European clubs rather than sell to Chelsea. Furthermore some of the protesters here mentioned than Chelsea can find better left back such as Zambrotti, Philip Liam, Rinse and Erik Abidal. Those protestors are idiot, didnt they read the news that Lyon quoted Erik Abidal price of 30mill (I am not sure pound or euros) when Chelsea enquire about him. Good work for Lyon. As for Zambrotti, he just left for Barca therefore he is not for sale. Rinse? Liverpool clearly does not want to do business with Chelsea since Rafa and Morinho are bitter enemy. Philip Liam? He is tied to Bayen Munich with long term contract. Bayern Munich is unhappy with the way Ballack left for Chelsea and wouldnt allow any players to leave esp Hargreaves to man u.
So where is the market for the top class left full back? Roberto Carlos may be avail and Chelsea can get him but I would laugh at Chelsea if Chelsea bid for Carlos cos it is the 1st time in history Chelsea bid for 34year old full leftback! Clearly Dein and Arsene knows there is no market for world class left fullback and that is why they demanded 30million pounds! Chelsea will succumb to Arsenal sooner or later. If chelsea does not pay up, and can’t find a world class left back, Chelsea wouldnt be able to win EPL this season. You can see how Liverpool beat Chelsea by exploiting on Chelsea left back area often.
Arsenal can let Cole go free after when cole contract expires cos Arsenal has made over 30million profit from selling Anelka, Patrick Viera, Overmars ,Petite ect. Plus Arsenal made about 50million pound from last season most of the revenue from CL. Arsenal’s loan on new stadium is clearly secured. This shows Arsenal is in financial stability esp when Arsenal offered Henry a 6 year bumber contract at 100,000 pounds weekly. Arsenal has clearly shown its financial muscle and clearly does not need money. Dein and Arsene has clearly quoted that Arsenal is not a SELLING CLUB and therefore to Chelsea and Real Mardrid hear it IF YOU WANT OUR PLAYERS, PAY IT AT OUR OWN PRICE OF FUCK OFF. ITS OUR RULE, NOT YOURS SO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS AND GET THIS INTO YOUR RIGID BRAIN!!!!