Wenger: We will decide if, or when, Cole goes

ARSENE WENGER has added fuel to the fire surrounding Ashley Cole by insisting Arsenal will make the crucial decisions on the player’s future, not Cole.

The England defender is set on a transfer to London rivals Chelsea, and Arsenal’s vice-chairman David Dein admitted last week that the two clubs are having “civil conversations” about the player rated at £20 million (€29 million) by the Gunners.

Although Cole has missed Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Austria, fuelling rumours of an imminent move across London, Wenger pointed out that the player is still under contract to them, and they will decide if — or when — he may go.