Does Ashley Cole Deserve Another Chelsea Contract Despite Being An Ancient, Decrepit 31-Year-Old Man?
By Chris Wright
There is warbling in today’s papers (notably the Mail) that Ashley Cole is all but set to leave Chelsea at the end of the season after rejecting the one-year contract extension that has been laid on the table for him – standard club policy for players who are the wrong side of the dreaded (and largely arbitrary) ’30′ hump.
Now, this could well just be standard tabloid waffle to begin the second week of a fairly slow international fortnight, a bit of agent-related agitating or a mix of the two but Chelsea are said to be unwilling to flaunt Abramovich’s ‘No Malingerers’ policy for Cole, 31, whose contract at Stamford Bridge dwindles to nowt next summer.
Bearing in mind this is the club that gave Paulo Ferriera a five-year deal a few months before he turned 30, surely, surely, Cole – who is a model of consistency and very much still up there among the very best left-backs in the world and has been for a decade or more – is worth another two or three years? We don’t think we’re far wrong in suggesting that any other club side in the world would happily take Cole of Chelsea’s hands for nothing.
What do you reckon Chelsea fans? It’s a stone cold no-brainer, right? Surely Cole’s worth bending the rules for?
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Of course he is. As said in the article, the age of the player is arbitrary. Factors that should be considered are previous form, consistancy and injuries (current and reoccuring). Even the youngest teams (think Man Utd in the early 90s) still needed older, experienced heads to keep a balance – think Bruce, Irwin etc. Cole, Lamps and JT are all over 30 but still have significant contributions to make. Cole still is, to my mind, the best left back in the world – I certainly wouldn’t swap him for anyone else. A blanket rule for over 30′s is ridiculous and needs to be readressed.
I think this is similar to a rule SAF instigated at Old Trafford where all players over 30 were only given a yearly rolling contract – but in special cases for key players (such as Giggs and Scholes) this was relaxed.
Could be wrong, but it rings a bell. Either way, seems a bit daft to put this kind of rule in place if a player is not blighted by injury and is a key member of the team.
A club bankrolled by a mega biliionaire can’t afford the best left back in the world. Kahkahkah
@topo He is not the best left back in the world.
Unless of course you like Sky Sports to take the hassle of formulating your own opinion away from you.
Can I just mention that only in England – by Englishman – is he known as the best left-back in the world. In literally every other European country he wouldn’t even be rated in the top 5 maybe 10. Of course I’m just a bitter jealous johnny foreigner so what do I know?
He’s not the best LB in the world, but I can only really think of Marcelo and Coentrao being better than him
@Mystic
Name 5 or even 10 better left backs.
@holland… @mystic
who cares if hes not in the top whatever, wherever you are. this is a CHELSEA left back we’re talking about. doesn’t need to be the worlds best to beat the likes of Stoke and Norwich, and has proved a pain in the ass and an equal to the talents of the all the bigger clubs too, time and again. He’s obviously worth keeping around. if it isn’t broken (yet), no need to fix it.
It’s impossible to absolutely call any player the best at his position.
If I were picking a team to win a tournament right now, I’d choose Philip Lahm as starting left back, even though he’s been playing right back at Bayern for the last couple seasons.
If I were picking a team to be the best club in the world today and in the future, definitely Jordi Alba. Second choice would be Kwadwo Asamoah, who has been playing as a left wing-back for Juve this season to much acclaim.
In any case, Chelsea are absolutely nuts if they let Cole walk for free because he’s turned 30 years old and they won’t give him a reasonable contract.
As an Arsenal supporter, I hope he dies a slow and painful death by way of boiling water. As a football lover, he is, as mentioned, a model of consistency and up there among the very best left backs in the world and might I add, in history. As a point of reference, Ashley Cole is no Paulo Maldini, but he can surely complete any defence for another 5 years. The cunt.
If they dont then Alex Ferguson will snap him up than Jimmy Saville would snap up….ill stop there.