Unwell Cole wants to leave

Having avoided a £60,000 fine by turning up for work at Arsenal's training ground on Monday morning, Ashley Cole spent just an hour at London
Colney before being sent home after claiming to be unwell. He did, however, find time to announce he wants to leave the club.

The cause of Cole's illness, apparently a 'stomach upset', is unknown, but it may be significant that he met with David Dein during his brief visit to Arsenal's training base.

Cole blames the Arsenal vice-chairman for the breakdown of his relationship with the club he has supported since childhood. It is believed that, in a bid to speed up his transfer to Chelski, Cole informed Dein for the first time that he wants to leave the club.

According to The Daily Mirror, Cole vowed that he 'would never play for the club again.'

The England full-back avoided a meeting with manager Arsene Wenger as the rest of the first-team squad were completing their pre-season preparations in Austria. However, the Frenchman returns to England today and is expected to immediately hold talks with Cole. Fitness permitting, Cole will repeat his wish to leave.

Wenger struck an exasperated figure after watching the Gunners thrash Schwadorf in the final match of their tour. Pressed to comment on Cole's future, Wenger was unusually brusque in his reply.

"Why are you only asking about a player who is not with us and the rest of the squad out in Austria at the moment?" he retorted. "There are 25 other players who are preparing hard for the season and yet everybody wants to know about one who is not. I think the Arsenal fans are more interested in the Arsenal team and the players who are training, than more stories about Cole."

Wenger also insisted that club rather than player would have the final say on Cole's future.

"If Ashley is going to be sold he will be informed and if he is staying then he will be informed of that as well. Ashley is under contract to Arsenal, so who do you think will decide what happens to him?"

The clock is ticking on Cole's proposed transfer to Chelski with UEFA imposing a Thursday deadline for the registration of Champions League players. The Gunners are demanding £30m for his services, a sum that the Premiership champions are, as yet, unwilling to pay.

Cole's ultimatum has reduced Arsenal's bargaining power and, while the saga appears to have reached a stalemate, the smart money remains on the England full-back completing his move within the next 48 hours.

From : Footbal365