Speaking on talkSPORT, former Arsenal chairman David Dein has expressed his regrets over letting Ashley Cole leave the club back in 2006.
The England legend famously swapped Arsenal for Chelsea after a lowball contract offer from the Gunners, and now, Dein has actually apologised for not giving Cole what he wanted.
For years, Arsenal fans castigated Cole for leaving north London in pursuit of more money, earning him the nickname ‘Cashley Cole’, but now, Dein says that it was largely his fault.
What’s been said?
Dein spoke about Cole’s departure from Arsenal and his regrets.
“It was a great shame because Ashley was home grown. He was an Arsenal boy and I regret that we didn’t do enough at the time to keep him at the club and we were also talking about building the stadium and finances. Tensions were raging because we were watching every penny and consequently we didn’t do enough to keep him and I regret that with hindsight, so Ashley, if you’re listening I’m sorry.” Dein said.
Should’ve paid up
Dein can see that he made with Cole in hindsight, but he should have seen that mistake playing out in real time.
Indeed, it’s not as though Cole was a talent going under the radar at the time, he was already classed as one of the greatest left-backs of all-time at that point, and he should’ve been paid whatever he was demanding.
Who knows where Arsenal would’ve ended up if they’d kept Cole rather than letting him join Chelsea? Perhaps their decade-long trophy drought would never have happened if the England star had been kept at the Emirates.
Letting Cole leave may forever go down as one of the biggest mistakes Arsenal have ever made.
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