Month: August 2017

Ashley Cole has confirmed that he would consider the option of returning to English football with Birmingham City prepared to acquire his services.

The former Chelsea man currently has six months left on his Galaxy contract, and he is considering his options for the final stages of his career.

Ashley Cole has confirmed that he would consider the option of returning to English football with Birmingham City prepared to acquire his services.

The former Chelsea man currently has six months left on his Galaxy contract, and he is considering his options for the final stages of his career.

The former England international had been lined up by Harry Redknapp as a potential option to bolster the squad alongside Robbie Keane, though the latter is seemingly close to joining Atletico de Kolkata where he would work under ex-Spurs teammate Teddy Sheringham.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Cole admitted that a return to England is an option with the Blues keen on adding him to their squad, he said: “Yeah, I’m just waiting to see, keep my options open. It’s six months left here, so it’s something I’m thinking about yeah.”

The 36-year-old earns a weekly wage of just around £4300 after tax, and a move to the Championship could see him earn a better salary whilst helping the Blues push for top-flight promotion. Despite this, LA Galaxy coach Curt Onalfo has previously suggested that he would like to prolong Cole’s stay as he remains an important part of his first-team plans.

He told Sky Sports News: “He’s a really important part of our team. Ashley brings a level of experience, he’s our oldest player but he often looks like our youngest. He has such a great way about him. He’s certainly a player that’s in my plans and I want him to stay here obviously.”

Birmingham City only managed to survive in the Championship in the final day of the previous campaign, and Redknapp will have the task to steady the ship next season before pushing for a first top-flight promotion since the 2010/11 campaign, where they were relegated by Redknapp’s Tottenham Hotspur.

Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy are unlikely to permit the sale of defender Ashley Cole to Birmingham City this summer as he is considered as a key part of their first-team plans.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal defender has emerged as a summer target for the Blues with manager Harry Redknapp plotting looking to add more experience to his squad ahead of a promotion push.

Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy are unlikely to permit the sale of defender Ashley Cole to Birmingham City this summer as he is considered as a key part of their first-team plans.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal defender has emerged as a summer target for the Blues with manager Harry Redknapp plotting looking to add more experience to his squad ahead of a promotion push.

Birmingham only survived relegation on the final day of the previous campaign, and Redknapp had a key role to play in the final weeks as he guided them to two victories in the last three games. The 70-year-old has since been on the lookout for experienced faces to add to his squad, and he missed out on the services of John Terry earlier this month after he decided to join cross-city rivals Aston Villa on a free transfer.

Cole ended his association with English football back in the summer of 2014, but Redknapp feels the player still has the potential to succeed in the Championship as he approaches the final years of his professional career. The 36-year-old is currently on a wage package of just £4,350 a week after tax, and he would stand the chance of a substantial rise, should he make the return to England.

However, neither the player nor the coach are interested in parting ways with manager Curt Onalfo citing that Cole is a ‘really important’ player in their squad, he said: “He’s a really important part of our team, Ashley brings a level of experience. He’s certainly in my plans and I want to have him stay here.”Cole’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the year, but he is determined to prolong his stay in Los Angeles where he is settled with his partner and son over the past 18 months.

LA Galaxy coach Curt Onalfo said that his team has no intention of letting Ashley Cole leave the club. He said that the former Arsenal and Chelsea defender is an important member of the team and that he is still counting on him.

This statement will reassure LA Galaxy fans after reports suggested that the player might be returning to England with Birmingham City amongst the clubs interested in the player.

LA Galaxy coach Curt Onalfo said that his team has no intention of letting Ashley Cole leave the club. He said that the former Arsenal and Chelsea defender is an important member of the team and that he is still counting on him.

This statement will reassure LA Galaxy fans after reports suggested that the player might be returning to England with Birmingham City amongst the clubs interested in the player.

Curt Onalfo said that he is unaware of any interest in the player and that Ashley Cole is still and will remain a LA Galaxy player. He said that he is busy building a team that will allow him to win trophies and that he has no interest in letting go of his best players. Galaxy remain one of the front-runners to win their Division, with https://sport.netbet.co.uk/live-betting/ giving them odds of just 2/1 to win a trophy this season.

“Ashley Cole is an important member of the team and that it is difficult to replace a player of this quality. Cole is not only an important player on the pitch but also in the dressing room. He brings not only experience on the pitch but also calmness.”

Meanwhile, LA are still on the lookout for a quality striker and have denied rumors that the team might be moving a move for former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He admitted that the team is always interested in signing world class players and that they might be interested in having a player of this quality play for them.

However, he said that there is no decision that has been made so far and that they are more concerned with the present team. He said that he would be pleased if ever they signed a player of this quality but at the moment there are no concrete offers that have been made.

With LA Galaxy gearing up for the new season, it’s interesting to note that their main rivals, Seattle Sounders, are also excited with what he has seen so far this close season.

Indeed Seattle Sounders has been hindered with plenty of injuries for a few months now, and they have been relying on some of the young players to win games. Schmetzer believes that these fringe players have performed really well and that they have filled the void left by the injured players, but that with the return of the first team players he will have some competition for places and this could be really useful for the remainder of the season.

“The players returning from injuries should not believe that they will be getting back into the team easily – their replacements have been so good that they will have to fight to get their place back into the team. As a coach this is what you would like on your team and this is an exciting period for Seattle Sounders – the team has been underachieving for quite some time now and that it is high time for the team to progress.”

“Hopefully the younger players will benefit from the experience of the older players and this could help drive the team forward. I want to see more aggressiveness and determination all around the pitch as the the club has the potential of winning a trophy this season and I’ll give his best to make this happen.”