Ashley Cole reveals he left Arsenal for Chelsea because their winning ‘culture was falling apart’
Ashley Cole said he left Arsenal for Chelsea in one of the most controversial transfers of the Premier League era because their ‘winning culture was falling apart.’
Cole, who was regarded as the best left-back in the world, made the controversial transfer on deadline day in 2006, 14 years ago.
His move from north to west London pained the Arsenal fans as he was one of their rarest success stories, a kid from the Gunners academy who flourished in the Arsene Wenger era alongside significant others such as Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira.
Ashley Cole left Arsenal for Chelsea in one of the most controversial transfers in history
Although many accused Cole of leaving Arsenal for a more substantial pay packet, he insists his departure from the Emirates was due to culture.
‘The transition in terms of being in a different group, environment and players was easy because, at the time when I first started at Arsenal, we had a core – the Keown’s, the Seaman’s, the Vieiras, the Henry’s, the Adam’s’,’ Cole told BBC Sport.
‘When they started to leave, I felt there were holes in the culture of what it was that brought success. I just felt it was falling apart a bit, or there were gaps missing, and they weren’t filled.
‘So that transition in terms of finding myself in a different culture and the willingness and want to win, I went to Chelsea, and I had that.’
Cole was accused of leaving Arsenal for a more substantial pay packet at Chelsea instead
Cole finally made the move to Stamford Bridge on deadline day in 2006, 14 years ago
Many fans felt it was the way that Cole went about signing with his new club, Chelsea, that was so disgraceful.
Cole was pictured in January 2005 meeting Chelsea’s then manager Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon at the Royal Park Hotel in Lancaster Gate, London while still under contract at Arsenal.
Cole was, however, fined £100,000 for breaching Premier League Rule K5 which prohibits negotiating with another club while still under contract. Chelsea and Mourinho were also punished.
The controversy even won Story of the Year in 2005 with Cole finally becoming a Chelsea player for £5million in 2006.
When asked if he thought he could have handled the move from one London giant to another, Cole said: ‘One hundred per cent, it’s not just entirely my fault, and it’s not entirely their fault.
‘I was probably a little bit too stubborn at the time and felt a little bit hard done by. I was a little bit babyish, to be honest, but it’s something I won’t ever regret, and I wouldn’t ever change that situation.
‘It’s just something that happened. Maybe it was meant to be, who knows? But I definitely feel unjust about it because it wasn’t what people think in terms of money. It’s crazy, but that was probably the last thing on my mind.’
Cole won the 2012 Champions League with Chelsea in May and also won seven FA Cups
Cole lifted the Premier League trophy in 2010 after helping Chelsea finish top of the table
Untimely the move worked out exceptionally well for Cole in football terms. He was an integral part of the Chelsea trophy winning side for nearly the next eight seasons before moving on to Roma and LA Galaxy.
He also became a member of England’s 100-up club, his total of 107 caps second in the all-time list for defenders after Bobby Moore.
Though Arsenal fans still detest Cole to this day while Chelsea supporters regard him as a legend.
Cole did, however, win trophies with both clubs, including the 2012 Champions League with Chelsea, and a record seven FA Cups – three with Arsenal, four with Chelsea.
