Arsene Wenger in a recent interview has admitted that Arsenal should not have sold Ashley Cole to their rivals. The former England left-back is regarded as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League of all time. The majority of the world would agree with Wenger that letting go of Ashley Cole was one of the biggest mistakes Wenger made during his time at Arsenal.
Ashley Cole has played 701 games at club level and has got 107 caps for his nation. This shows how important a player he was for playing over 800 matches under different managers. He has made some very crucial blocks for Chelsea. If he had not made certain tackles, blocks, Chelsea might not have won the Champions League in 2011/12.
Cole is a very well-decorated player having won a lot of trophies in his career. He has won the Premier League 3 times, the FA Cup 7 times, the Carling Cup once, and, the FA Community Shield 6 times. He has also lifted both the UEFA Champions League and also the UEFA Europa League trophy once. This makes his trophy count to a total of 19 which is a dream for many players.
Cole was also included in the countless team of the week, months, and years. Cristiano Ronaldo has mentioned Ashley Cole as one of the toughest opponents he has faced. To hear that from such a great of the footballing world must have been an honorable feeling for the former Arsenal left-back.
Why does Wenger regret selling Ashley Cole?
Ashley Cole had won the Premier League twice with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. He was also a part of the invincibles squad and hardly any player from the Premier League could have replaced him. Cole went on to win the Champions League with Chelsea as he was also one of Chelsea‘s core players at that moment.
Cole had an excellent reading of the game which helped him make better decisions defensively. His decisions were helped by his great physique and agility. The strength he had also helped him muscle with the forwards and keep up with them. He also had a good pace which allowed forwards to get behind only for a short period of time.
His technical mindset and calmness made him a very reliable option at the back as he was very confident on the ball. Cole’s development was the reason for modern football to be focusing more on the threats via fullbacks. Many attackers came and went who tried to go past Cole but failed miserably. They tried their everything to get some space behind but could never achieve it.
People rarely consider him as one of the best left-backs of all time but that could be because he has not won the World Cup. Wenger might have regretted that decision just after a few seasons. Ashely Cole could certainly be called one of the best left-backs of his generation if not the best.
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