A LOOK BACK: At the time former Arsenal chairman David Dein issued an apology to Ashley Cole for not doing more to keep him at the club before his controversial Chelsea switch.
Few transfers in Premier League history have stirred such ill-feeling and animosity as Ashley Cole's decision to leave Arsenal for London rivals Chelsea.
The legendary left-back came through the Gunners academy ranks and was immediately adored by the Highbury faithful, but broke Arsenal hearts when he made the short trip across the capital to join the Blues. The deal was the subject of tapping up accusations and Chelsea, along with Cole's agent, were fined for the actions they took to sign him.
At the time, Arsenal themselves were trying to negotiate a new deal to keep Cole at the club, but rather infamously the England international was insulted by the offer the Gunners put forward. 16 years after that sorry saga, former Gunners chairman David Dein conceded he regrets the manner of Cole's exit.
"We should never have lost him in my opinion," he told talkSPORT of Cole. "His contract came up for re-negotiation and we didn't offer him the right sort of money, meanwhile, Chelsea did.
"I got a call one day from a journalist from the News of the World at the time, and he said 'We've got a hot story off the press, your player Ashley Cole is being tapped up by Chelsea. I think you should come and see us'.
"I went down to their offices and they said 'Here's a signed statement from a waiter at a restaurant where Ashley Cole is meeting Chelsea'. He was an Arsenal fan, the waiter, clearly, and he gave the story to the News of the World and broke it there and then.
"That was the end of that, and it really was a great shame because Ashley was home-grown, an Arsenal boy, and I regret that we didn't do enough at the time to keep him at the club. It was also at a time when we were talking about building the stadium and finances, so tensions were raging about how we were going to finance the stadium and we were watching every penny. We didn't go enough to keep him, and I regret that with hindsight. Ashley, if you're listening, I'm sorry."
Cole's move marked the first time that a high-profile, world-class Arsenal talent of that era opted for a new challenge elsewhere. The likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri would all also exit within the five years that followed.
Arsenal struggled to keep hold of their best talent due to the financial burden placed upon the club by moving to the Emirates Stadium in 2006. Cole actually won more Premier League titles with the Gunners than he did with Chelsea, but he did also lift one Champions League and four FA Cups, as well as a League Cup and Europa League at Stamford Bridge.
Cole has opened up on his Gunners exit a number of times, but his most notable explanation came in his book, where he wrote: "Arsenal hung me out to dry, using me as a scapegoat to get back at Chelsea.
"The board 'rewarded' me with an insult and threw years of loyalty back in my face. I'll reveal the shattering truth about who fed me to the sharks. It changed my view forever on the club I regarded as family."
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