Former Arsenal star Ashley Cole has hit out at the club over his treatment before joining Premier League rivals Chelsea in 2006.
Cole infamously swapped the Emirates Stadium for Stamford Bridge following a high-profile dispute with the club’s ownership over contract talks.
The ex-England international memorably commented that he ‘almost crashed his car in shock’ after being informed of Arsenal’s plan to offer him £55,000 ($68,000) per week.
Following weeks of talks, Cole eventually secured a move away from his boyhood club, as part of swap deal which saw William Gallas head in the opposite direction.
The saga caused bitterness from Arsenal fans towards Cole, with Gunners fans labelling him ‘Cashley’, amid rumours of his financial demands scuppering extension talks.
Cole has consistently denied he was unreasonable in his salary requests and the former defender told the Peter Crouch Podcast he was misled by Arsenal over what they would pay him.
“My situation was I knew what I was worth. If you don’t want to pay it, no problem. But we’d agreed. Everything was agreed and they pulled the rug [from] under me. They broke their promise – I couldn’t tell you why,” he said.
“It was hard [to leave]. People [don’t] understand the pressure I was under to leave or to stay.
“Ultimately I felt disrespected, that’s my point of view. Sometimes I speak to fans [and they say], ‘You left, you hurt me’, I’m like, ‘Hold up’. People don’t realise I got hurt the most, it was my boyhood club, I’d been living the dream. But, I got shafted.
“It wasn’t that I felt I wasn’t getting looked after because I was a young player. I didn’t ask for [Thierry] Henry’s or [Patrick] Vieira’s [wages]. I didn’t want that. I just knew what I was worth and they broke their promise.”
Cole has returned to his role with the England U21 side at the start of 2025, alongside former interim senior team boss Lee Carsley, with Thomas Tuchel taking charge of the Three Lions this month.
