What Ashley Cole has earned up to this point in his career playing for Chelsea and Arsenal hasn’t been enough. With one year remaining on his contract with the European champions, it’s rumored that the England left back is looking for PSG to come up with a mega contract he thinks he deserves for the final substantial part of his career.
How much is Cole looking for? Knowing that PSG can afford the price, he’s seeking a deal worth £200,000 a week, knowing very well he won’t be getting it from Chelsea. There are contract extension negotiations with his club, but just like Didier Drogba, Chelsea might prefer to give up on his very expensive, probably too expensive services for a few more years, with Cole hitting 32 in four months.
PSG aren’t the only team interest in acquiring Ashley Cole, still one of the best left backs in Europe. Carlo Ancelotti, who managed Chelsea and Cole for two season is very much interested in the player. At the moment, at least officially, an offer is off the table – PSG have already spent quite a lot of money this summer (Over €100 million) and Chelsea aren’t too keen on selling Cole for anything less than an extremely high fee.
Real Madrid, with another manager that worked with Cole in the past, Jose Mourinho, are also interested in making a move for the England international (98 caps) and in general, it is believed that if Cole doesn’t manage to work out things with Chelsea, where he would very much like to stay, he’d prefer to take his talents across the channel and not remain in the Premier League, with Manchester United also recently linked to the player.
Is it worth it? Probably not. What Cole is asking for or hoping for is something around £30 million on a 3 year contract. Chelsea don’t have a tendency to grant big contract to players over 30, and it’s hard to see anyone but PSG answering his request. Maybe a club in China or something similar, but that means giving up on the chance to win any substantial trophies for what’s left of his career.
Cole left Arsenal six years ago because of money, a lot of it. He was 25 at the time, and is hated at the Emirates for it, will be forever. If he leaves Chelsea it won’t have the same effect on the fans and Cole won’t be the same kind of upgrade to his next employed. There aren’t enough teams around this time to grant him his quite ridiculous wishes, maybe none at all.