Cole chase begins as Ballack and Belletti join Chelsea exodus
The 28-year-old’s future had been the subject of increasing speculation and the Blues announced yesterday that his seven years at the club will come to an end this month after the two parties failed to agree a new deal.
In a day of departures, it was revealed midfielder Michael Ballack and right-back Juliano Belletti are also leaving Stamford Bridge.
Cole is in South Africa with the England squad and he remained tight-lipped about his future at a press conference yesterday.
He said: “I’m just focused on the World Cup at the moment, I’ll leave that sort of thing to my agent.
“My future will sort itself out. It’s been going on a while. It’s a story to be told another day.”
Cole has already been linked with Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham and Spurs boss Harry Redknapp admitted yesterday he is interested in the former West Ham man.
Staying in London could well appeal to Cole, whose wage demands are believed to be a major reason for the breakdown in talks with Chelsea.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti had repeatedly stressed his desire to hang on to the midfielder but as negotiations dragged on it became increasingly likely he would leave.
The Blues’ stance is also likely to have been influenced by Cole’s failure to hold down a regular starting spot this season.
The Londoner had been a key player in the rise of the club under owner Roman Abramovich but a serious knee injury suffered in January 2009 put him out for eight months and on his return he struggled to rediscover his best form.
Cole arrived at Stamford Bridge in a £6.6 million (€8m) deal from West Ham in the summer of 2003 and helped the Blues win their first Premier League titles under Jose Mourinho in 2005 and 2006.
Arguably Cole’s best season for Chelsea came in 2007/08, when he picked up the club’s Player of the Year award as they finished just behind Manchester United in the league and also lost the Champions League final to their rivals on penalties.
The last of Cole’s 40 goals in nearly 300 appearances came in the 2-1 win over Manchester United in April that went along way to sealing a third Premier League triumph, while he also picked up three FA Cup winners’ medals and two League Cup titles.
Ballack leaves Chelsea after four years, with the club unwilling to offer the German the two-year contract he was reportedly seeking.
The 33-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge from Bayern Munich with a reputation as one of Europe’s best players and on the back of a brilliant World Cup.
But he has largely failed to live up to that billing, with injuries keeping him out of the team for lengthy spells.
The latest of those, an ankle problem sustained in the FA Cup final win over Portsmouth last month, ruled the Germany captain out of the World Cup and he will continue to be treated at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground until his recovery is complete.
He is likely to receive offers from his homeland while a move to join Mourinho at Real Madrid has also been mooted.
Ballack’s agent, Michael Becker, yesterday claimed the player, who is on holiday in Miami, was “completely surprised” by the news.
“He has not spoken to Chelsea for three months,” Becker added.
Becker said Ballack would have been willing to take a pay cut to stay with Chelsea and that he would even have accepted a one-year deal with an option for a second year based on appearances.
The departure of Brazil World Cup winner Belletti is not a surprise.
The 33-year-old joined Chelsea in the summer of 2007 from Barcelona and was their first-choice right-back during his first season.
But his first-team chances have been limited since then and he leaves following the completion of his three-year contract.
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