Ashley Cole: I didn’t leave Arsenal because of money
Ashley Cole, one of the best left-backs in the history of the Premier League, revealed the real reason for his departure from Arsenal in 2006.
The former England international has been a staunch supporter of Arsene Wenger and a fan favorite for seven years, but after deciding to move to big rivals Chelsea, he has become the biggest traitor to the Gunners, who still do not want to forgive him.
‘The transition in terms of being in a different group, environment and players was easy because, at the time when I first started at Arsenal, we had a core – the Keowns, the Seamans, the Vieiras, the Henrys, the Adams’,’ Cole told BBC Sport.
‘When they started to leave, I felt there were holes in the culture of what it was that brought success. I just felt it was falling apart a bit, or there were gaps missing, and they weren’t filled.
‘So that transition in terms of finding myself in a different culture and the willingness and want to win, I went to Chelsea, and I had that.’
When asked if he thought he could have handled the move from one London giant to another, Cole said: ‘One hundred per cent, it’s not just entirely my fault, and it’s not entirely their fault.
‘I was probably a little bit too stubborn at the time and felt a little bit hard done by. I was a little bit babyish, to be honest, but it’s something I won’t ever regret, and I wouldn’t ever change that situation. It’s just something that happened. Maybe it was meant to be, who knows? But I definitely feel unjust about it because it wasn’t what people think in terms of money. It’s crazy, but that was probably the last thing on my mind.’
The Englishman stayed at Chelsea for eight years, until 2014, when he returned to England through Roma and Los Angeles Galaxy and this season he wore the Derby County jersey.