You always get speculation during the summer, as you would during any transfer window but it’s not til months later that the truth behind the stories ever really comes out – and that’s the case with Ashley Cole.
After a particularly high profile summer and all for the wrong reasons, it’s fair to say Ashley Cole’s welcome back to the country following the World Cup wasn’t exactly warm. The inevitable rumours of a move to Real Madrid and a reunion with Jose Mourinho were quick to come but just as quickly refuted by Carlo Ancelotti and Cole’s early season form certainly wasn’t that of a want-away player.
The Chelsea left-back was obviously good at putting on a front though because, having settled into the new season nicely, Cole now admits that whilst he’s happy he stayed at Chelsea it took a bit of persuasion from his manager and team-mates for that to happen. Cole admits “It was hard for me in my head. It wasn’t just about the football, it was more my brain and it was getting too much for me. There were times when it was really hard. I did think about leaving but, of course, when I spoke to Ancelotti he made it clear he wanted me to stay and loved having me around, and the players didn’t want me to go. I’m glad I stayed. A lot of people were saying ‘you can’t leave’, ‘he’s basically giving up and he has to take the flak’. I’ve stayed now and I’ve taken the flak and hopefully I’m coming through it.”
Cole obviously has a lot of respect for his current manager, saying “I don’t know what it is with Carlo. He seems to be one of the lads. He knows when to be serious, but he joins in at training and everyone enjoys having him around. When you have someone like that around you it makes you want to fight and win for him. He just brings out the best in the lot of us.”
But whilst Cole, whose current contract runs until 2013, would happily spend many more years at Chelsea, he admits “I would love to end my career here. I’d like to say I have four years left at the top, but I’m taking it year by year and seeing how the body is because I’m 29 but I feel like 35 or 40. It’s hard getting up in the mornings.”
Yeh, it must be for £120,000 a week!
Blue is the colour
