COLE WILL STAY AT LA GALAXY

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.

COLE WILL STAY AT LA GALAXY

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.”

Life After the Bridge

There are few English players who have had a more successful career than Ashley Cole. He enjoyed a whole series of league and cup triumphs with both Arsenal and Chelsea before deciding it was time to head overseas. As has been the case with many an English player, it hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

After eight years with Chelsea, Cole fell out of favour and played his last game for the London club against Cardiff City. With his contract about to expire, the former England defender was told he wasn’t needed anymore at the Bridge and a new phase of his career began.

There are few English players who have had a more successful career than Ashley Cole. He enjoyed a whole series of league and cup triumphs with both Arsenal and Chelsea before deciding it was time to head overseas. As has been the case with many an English player, it hasn’t exactly gone to plan.

Life After the Bridge

After eight years with Chelsea, Cole fell out of favour and played his last game for the London club against Cardiff City. With his contract about to expire, the former England defender was told he wasn’t needed anymore at the Bridge and a new phase of his career began.

Cole could have probably joined a few Premier League teams but instead opted to go to Italy, and in July 2014 became an AS Roma player. He joined a side that has just finished second in Serie A with the second-best defence in the league but was 17 points adrift of champions Juventus. Could Cole add further strength to their defence and win them the 2014/15 Serie A title?

He described his time in English football as “a pleasure” but added that moving to Italy represented “a new challenge.” That challenge included Champions League football and he was soon back in England as his new team held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw. He probably wondered what he’d let himself in for when being substituted after 46 minutes in a 7-1 home defeat by Bayern Munich, a long way from the night he was part of the Chelsea team that beat Munich to win the Champions League in 2012.

Cole’s stay in Italy wasn’t to go to plan – to put it lightly. He played just 16 games for the Italian side and there was that embarrassing photo that saw him standing beside the Roma squad looking very much the outsider. In January 2016, his contract was terminated even though it still had a year to run. A shame really as Roma are enjoying another good season. They lie second in the table and at bet365 are 10/1 in the odds to win the title.

Where next? When Cole left Chelsea, he spoke out against a move to the MLS suggesting he wasn’t ready for the beach yet. However, just a month after leaving Roma, he was in the States joining LA Galaxy. Not quite the next David Beckham for the club, and word was that he was being paid less than £4,000 a week.

At least it meant he was getting time on the pitch. Well, that was until he got sent off against Sporting Kansas City. The same happened against San Jose Earthquakes and Cole wasn’t making the earth move for his new team. Worse was to come when missing a penalty against Colorado Rapids to end any hope LA Galaxy had of winning the MLS. Again, a moment far away from that penalty shoot-out win in the Champions League final. He even apologised to teammate Steven Gerrard who had been looking for success in his final season.

So, what next for Cole? No sign of him returning to Europe during the MLS close season and having turned 36 last December, his best days are obviously far behind him. Perhaps one final big transfer to a Chinese team to end his career or stay in America. Cole has had a great career. Let’s hope there is a bit more glory left in it before he finally calls a day to it.

COLE FOURTH IN MLS FAN VOTING

Former Arsenal and Chelsea star, Ashley Cole placed fourth in the MLS All Star Game Fan Voting. The talented defender joined the Major League Soccer this year after completing his move to the United States from AS Roma.

The former Three Lions defender left Stamford Bridge for Italy on a free transfer in 2014, struggled in Italy, but has found form in the US, ranking amongst the top talents in the league.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea star, Ashley Cole placed fourth in the MLS All Star Game Fan Voting. The talented defender joined the Major League Soccer this year after completing his move to the United States from AS Roma.

COLE FOURTH IN MLS FAN VOTING

The former Three Lions defender left Stamford Bridge for Italy on a free transfer in 2014, struggled in Italy, but has found form in the US, ranking amongst the top talents in the league.

Dos Santos who is team mate with Cole is ranked third among the midfielders while Ashley Cole placed fourth place in the defender voting.

The MLS All Star Game Fan Voting is to name the players that will eventually make the All Star Fan XI. A total of ten players which involves a goal keeper, three defenders, four midfielders and two forwards will make the final list. The final forward position will be awarded to the winner of the AT&T/EA SPORTS “More Than a Vote” Challenge. The voting will continue till the 4th of July at 12 pm PT.

LA Galaxy captain, Robbie Keane is currently ranked third in the AT&T/EA SPORTS “More Than a Vote” Challenge behind David Villa and Toronto FC’s Giovinco. The competition will award the final MLS All-Star place to the striker with the most goals in FIFA 16.

There had been talk that he would be heading back to the Premier League on loan, with many fans who used this link to get tickets for the Community Shield half-expecting him to turn out for old boss Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City, but it now looks like Cole will stay put.

He has 11 caps to his MLS career so far and has played just one CONCACAF Champions League. If you had bet on Ashley Cole using Draftkings promo code you could have got odds of 10/1.

The 35-year old is not in action for the national team currently playing at the Euro 2016 having played previous editions. Cole played in the age grade tournaments before joining the national team side in 2001. He is among the elitist players that have over 100 caps for England.

Cole happy at LA Galaxy

There was a point in time when Ashley Cole was considered to be the best left-back in the world of football.

It was during the playing time that Cole spent with Chelsea from 2006-2014 where the English defender managed to stand out and help the Premier League in lifting a number of big titles such as: Premier League, Europa League, Champions League and FA Cup are just a few of the pieces of silverware that he sealed with Chelsea.

When Ashley Cole’s contract with Chelsea reached it’s end, he went off to join the Italian side AS Roma, although according to transferrumours.co.uk he could have gone to any one of 20 clubs across Europe who wanted him.

Unfortunatley, it turned out to be a fairly unpleasant period of time for Cole as he had to spend a significantly long period of time on the sidelines as a substitute player and Cole didn’t add any titles to his collection.

Following such an underwhelming time with Roma, Ashley Cole attempted to get his playing career back on track as he joined the MLS side LA Galaxy in January of 2016 and the English defender recently talked about how things have been going for him ever since making his move to LA Galaxy.

“I’m enjoying it. Of course, it’s a little bit different to playing in the Premier League and in Italy but we have a good bunch of lads here and some familiar faces that I know so they’ve made it very easy to come into the squad and into the team. Every manager and every team has a different philosophy or a different way they want to play so of course it’s a little bit different.”

“I came here just to play football again. I didn’t really have a great time in Rome so it was just for me to start enjoying my football again they’ve given me the chance to do that.’’ LA Galaxy’s Ashley Cole said.

At the age of 35, Ashley Cole is reaching the end of his playing career and all that he wants to do is spend it as enjoyable as he can by being an active player and helping out his club in winning titles.

Ashley Cole doing well with LA Galaxy

The former Arsenal and Chelsea left-back has impressed pundits with his performance in the Major League Soccer. Ever since coming to the States, he has been putting in some wonderful performance and has demonstrated why he was considered at some point in his career as the best left back in the world.

He made his debut in the MLS in March 2016 in a match against DC United which LA Galaxy won by 4-1. There were also other former Premier League stars such as Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard playing in the match.

Ashley Cole, who was playing for AS Roma in Italy before moving to the MLS, did not find it difficult to adapt to the pace of the MLS. Indeed, his performance was so good that he was named in the team of the week.

The LA Galaxy coach, Bruce Arena was keen to underline the importance of Ashley Cole to the team. He said that Cole brings some experiences at the back and will have a calming effect on the other players especially when they are under pressure.

LA Galaxy really needed the experience of all his star players to come back in the game as they were trailing 1-0. Arena said that he was pleased with the discipline, determination and composure showed by his team and that they will need to show this character every week if they want to be successful in the MLS. If you’d used a Matchbook bonus code you could have got odds of 20/1 on it finishing 4-1.

Chelsea have missed Ahsley Cole since he moved on, with the team now slipping into mid-table, and without much of a chance of making it into one of the Champions League spots if the latest betting odds at StanJames are taken into consideration.

Ashley Cole started his career with English side Arsenal where he made 228 appearances for the Gunners and scoring 10 goals. He will win 2 Premier League titles with the Gunners as well as 3 FA Cup before leaving for Chelsea in 2006. He will enjoy quite a successful career as well there where he won one Premier League title.

Could Ashley Cole leave Roma?

Leaving Chelsea after 8 wonderful years filled with success left Ashley Cole searching for a new club in what became the most important summer of his career to date.

The 34-year-old was tipped to seek a new adventure by moving to the MLS, but Rudi Garcia pounced upon the availability of a top quality left-back who still has a lot to offer to bring him to Roma. It represented an excellent move for Cole, who gained the opportunity to end his illustrious career on a high through winning more major honours.

Leaving Chelsea after 8 wonderful years filled with success left Ashley Cole searching for a new club in what became the most important summer of his career to date.

The 34-year-old was tipped to seek a new adventure by moving to the MLS, but Rudi Garcia pounced upon the availability of a top quality left-back who still has a lot to offer to bring him to Roma. It represented an excellent move for Cole, who gained the opportunity to end his illustrious career on a high through winning more major honours.

Moving to Italy appeared a perfect fit, particularly as Roma were looking for a left-back to add more solidity to their defence and mount another serious challenge for the Serie A title to overthrow Juventus’ dominance. However, the Englishman’s spell with Roma could be short lived, with rumours persisting of a move away from the club during the January transfer window.

Limited appearances

Joining Roma appeared to be the perfect fit for both parties, but his move to Italy has not worked out as well as many would have thought for Cole. In his pursuit for left-back options, Garcia also signed Juan Holebas and Urby Emanuelson to create real competition for a place in the first team.

Although Cole was instantly integrated into the starting line-up, he struggled to adapt to Italian football and was taken out of the firing place in place of Holebas. The Greek international has unfortunately shone since he was given his chance, keeping Cole on the sidelines.

He has not played since the 2-1 win at Atalanta on November 22nd, with Cole cutting a frustrating figure as he has been restricted to just 8 Serie A appearances this season.

Where now for Cole?

Although Garcia has recently declared that Cole remains part of his plans at Roma, it is unlikely that he will be happy to play second fiddle for the rest of the season. Staying in Italy may ultimately depend on whether he can force his way back into the first team picture, but Cole would not be short of options if he chose to leave the capital.

A move back to the Premier League would not be out of the question, although there is more chance that the 34-year-old will seek a final swansong by moving to the United States.

Joining an MLS team may become more lucrative to Cole following the news that former England international team-mate Steven Gerrard is set to join LA Galaxy in the summer, and with the likes of Kaka and David Villa also poised to star during the 2015 season, it could be the perfect time for the left-back to move.

COLE IS CLOSE

Chelsea manager José Mourinho has revealed that defender Ashley Cole is close to returning to full training, but he does not want to reveal if the former Arsenal man will be recalled to the first-team when he comes back to the squad.

After being first-team regular throughout his career, Cole is finding himself as a backup to Azpilicueta, who is a right back played out of position. It is widely expected that Cole will leave Chelsea at the end of the season. He has been used sparingly in the second half of the campaign after committing several mistakes in the first.

Chelsea manager José Mourinho has revealed that defender Ashley Cole is close to returning to full training, but he does not want to reveal if the former Arsenal man will be recalled to the first-team when he comes back to the squad.

After being first-team regular throughout his career, Cole is finding himself as a backup to Azpilicueta, who is a right back played out of position. It is widely expected that Cole will leave Chelsea at the end of the season. He has been used sparingly in the second half of the campaign after committing several mistakes in the first.

Cole has been linked with the likes of Real Madrid and Paris St Germain, while the possibility of even moving to the MLS is not out of the question. The defender has reportedly been offered an £ 8 million contract for two years by the Spanish club. It would see him reunited with his former manager Ancelotti. Even though he played under Carlo Ancelotti only for two years, it was widely remarked as the best seen from Cole yet. Meanwhile, Mourinho said that the likes of Samuel Eto’o and John obi Mikel are not too far from returning to first-team action.

Marco van Ginkel has also returned to light training after more than six months out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
“I can’t say a match or a date where I expect him to be back,” said about the fitness of Eto’o. Cole is out of contract in the summer and he is widely expected to leave Chelsea after seven years at the club. During this period, he has won all major trophies including the Champions League, which turned out to be his first after two successive failures in the final. Jose Mourinho was giving the update ahead of the Aston Villa match.

PRESSURE IS ON

Ahead of Norwich’s visit to play Southampton, Norwich city defender Robert Snodgrass has increased the pressure on Southampton’s young defender Luke Shaw by claiming that he would rather take Ashley Cole to the World Cup 2014.

The 18-year-old has been regarded as the latest sensation in Premier league football with several club like Chelsea and Manchester United ready to pay in excess of £ 25 million for the left back. This would make him one of the most expensive left back in the world.

Ahead of Norwich’s visit to play Southampton, Norwich city defender Robert Snodgrass has increased the pressure on Southampton’s young defender Luke Shaw by claiming that he would rather take Ashley Cole to the World Cup 2014.

The 18-year-old has been regarded as the latest sensation in Premier league football with several club like Chelsea and Manchester United ready to pay in excess of £ 25 million for the left back. This would make him one of the most expensive left back in the world.

However, Chelsea already have Ashley Cole, who is record appearance maker for the England national team as a left back. He has also won numerous titles with both Chelsea and Arsenal over the years, but at 33 years of age, he seems to be coming to the end of his career. Cole has been widely linked with a move to the MLS at the end of the season since his contract with Chelsea runs out in the summer. There appears to be no indication from Chelsea that they are ready to extend the deal.

There have also been suggestions that England manager Roy Hodgson may be prepared to leave Cole, who has not featured regularly for Chelsea this season, and take Shaw to Brazil. Snodgrass, though, thinks otherwise because Cole has a lot of experience.

“I watched the England game and Shaw definitely didn’t look out of place. He took to it like a duck to water. But he is still very young and he needs more time to develop his game, although he certainly doesn’t play like he is only 18. He still has a lot to learn. So Baines and Cole are the ones that I believe should be going to Brazil. They both deserve to go,” said Snodgrass, who also said that he was looking to play against Shaw.

Backed By Chelsea Coach

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has backed Ashley Cole and said that he is in the best form of his life and should definitely make it to the England squad which will go for the World Cup in Brazil. He insisted on the fact that Ashley deserves a place in the squad because of his recent form and it would be really bad if he is not there in the team.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has backed Ashley Cole and said that he is in the best form of his life and should definitely make it to the England squad which will go for the World Cup in Brazil. He insisted on the fact that Ashley deserves a place in the squad because of his recent form and it would be really bad if he is not there in the team.

Roy Hodgson the coach of the England team said that the Everton left back Leighton Baines is a step ahead to be in the squad and Cole may be given a chance if required but his first choice for this world cup would surely be Baines because of his impressive performances over the last few years.

The England manager was seen to watch Baines in action in the recent games for Everton and believes that he would do the job well in the left back position. However Mourinho is still persistent about Cole and thinks that he deserves a place in the starting lineup.

In an interview with Sky Sports News the 51 year old coach said that there are many coaches who select the national team players independent of their performances for their respective clubs. On Ashley Cole he said that he has done really well for Chelsea in the recent times but for the time being he cannot see anyone else for the left back spot instead of Baines.

His pace and control with the ball is very impressive and has been in the England team for the qualifiers as well. He also went on to say that Baines has contributed a lot to the team as his crosses are pinpoint and his passes are precise. He did not say for once that Cole would not be included in the squad but he always pointed out the fact that in the starting lineup his first choice would be Leighton Baines.

TIME TO GO?

It looks like Ashley Cole’s Chelsea career is not too far away from getting over. The contract of the veteran left back at Stamford Bridge will end next summer and according to the reports, the club management is not interested at all in handing him a contract extension.

Cole who has been a member of the Chelsea squad since more than 7 years now has already played 225 Premier League matches for his current club. But, in this season, he has been ignored in favour of the young Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta.

It looks like Ashley Cole’s Chelsea career is not too far away from getting over. The contract of the veteran left back at Stamford Bridge will end next summer and according to the reports, the club management is not interested at all in handing him a contract extension.

Cole who has been a member of the Chelsea squad since more than 7 years now has already played 225 Premier League matches for his current club. But, in this season, he has been ignored in favour of the young Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta.

Azpilicueta is actually not a specialist left back as Cole, but, he has been used at that position by Jose Mourinho and he has managed to deliver the goods so far. So, one can expect him to continue being the first choice left-back at Stamford Bridge till the end of the season.

However, there is not much chance of Cole’s departure in January. He is likely to make an away move in summer.
There have been interests for Cole from various clubs around the world. Real Madrid is believed to be the most eager of them all and that’s because Carlo Ancelotti who is in charge over there knows Cole quite well and believes that he still has got some football left in him.

Cole would also like to prefer Madrid over any other club because by going there, he would be in contention for a place in his national side too, but, if goes to a league like MLS, he might drift away from the international arena.

Meanwhile, Chelsea is looking to bring in a new defender this January and the player who is at the top of their list is the 21 years old Luke Shaw who plays for Southampton FC at the minute.