Wenger wants Arsenal to keep Cole

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says he does not want Ashley Cole to leave the club.

In the promotional material for his new book, Cole criticised the Gunners for making him a "scapegoat" over the tapping-up affair with Chelsea.

Wenger said: "He has two years on his contract and unless we sell he has a future. I want him to stay.

"Nothing is decided yet and for me he is just an Arsenal player like everyone else. Football players are there to play football," he told Sky Sports.

Cole, Chelsea and Blues' manager Jose Mourinho were all fined after they breached league rules by meeting without Arsenal's knowledge.

Cole went on to sign a new contract with the Gunners but has now revealed his anger at how the club handled the fall out surrounding his Chelsea meeting.

"Arsenal hung me out to dry, using me as a scapegoat to get back at Chelsea," he is quoted in The Sun as saying.

"The board 'rewarded' me with an insult and threw years of loyalty back in my face.

"I'll reveal the shattering truth about who fed me to the sharks. It changed my view forever on the club I regarded as family."

However, Wenger insisted: "When we look at Ashley Cole we can say Arsenal have helped him a lot. He is intelligent enough to make a difference."

From : BBC