Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will only sanction a move for Joe Cole if the England star drops his £120,000-a-week wage demands, and prove his long-term fitness.
Arsenal have jumped to the head of the queue of clubs lining up to secure Cole’s signature, but the club are unwilling to shatter their salary structure to tie up a deal for a player with a chequered recent fitness record.
Manchester United have also asked to be kept informed of developments and it is understood that Old Trafford would be Cole’s first choice of destination.
But United would be unwilling to give Cole the four-year contract that he is looking for, even though the 28-year-old is available on a free transfer.
The midfielder has already informed Chelsea that he intends to exercise his right to leave under freedom of contract.
Wenger is a big admirer of the player and exploratory talks have been held with Cole’s advisers but the Arsenal manager does not view the player in the same bracket as top earner Cesc Fabregas, who is on £110,000-a-week.
Although the Frenchman has a £45 million transfer kitty this summer, the figure is believed to cover first-year salaries as well as transfer fees.
If Fabregas moved to Barcelona it would remove the club’s highest earner from the wage bill, but Wenger is believed to be willing to sanction a deal that would provide Cole a basic £80,000-a-week with performance and appearance-related bonuses.
There is also concern at the Emirates Stadium regarding Cole’s fitness. The midfielder missed the second half of the 2008-09 season with knee ligament damage and, after missing the build-up to the current campaign, has suffered from a string of minor ailments and struggled to cement a place in Chelsea’s team.
Arsenal rejected the chance to sign Patrick Vieira on a free transfer last season because they were led to believe he would not pass a medical.
Cole has said that he will wait until after the World Cup to sort out his future but it is likely that the deal will be done before that time.
Arsenal have jumped to the head of the queue of clubs lining up to secure Cole’s signature, but the club are unwilling to shatter their salary structure to tie up a deal for a player with a chequered recent fitness record.
Manchester United have also asked to be kept informed of developments and it is understood that Old Trafford would be Cole’s first choice of destination.
But United would be unwilling to give Cole the four-year contract that he is looking for, even though the 28-year-old is available on a free transfer.
The midfielder has already informed Chelsea that he intends to exercise his right to leave under freedom of contract.
Wenger is a big admirer of the player and exploratory talks have been held with Cole’s advisers but the Arsenal manager does not view the player in the same bracket as top earner Cesc Fabregas, who is on £110,000-a-week.
Although the Frenchman has a £45 million transfer kitty this summer, the figure is believed to cover first-year salaries as well as transfer fees.
If Fabregas moved to Barcelona it would remove the club’s highest earner from the wage bill, but Wenger is believed to be willing to sanction a deal that would provide Cole a basic £80,000-a-week with performance and appearance-related bonuses.
There is also concern at the Emirates Stadium regarding Cole’s fitness. The midfielder missed the second half of the 2008-09 season with knee ligament damage and, after missing the build-up to the current campaign, has suffered from a string of minor ailments and struggled to cement a place in Chelsea’s team.
Arsenal rejected the chance to sign Patrick Vieira on a free transfer last season because they were led to believe he would not pass a medical.
Cole has said that he will wait until after the World Cup to sort out his future but it is likely that the deal will be done before that time.
No comments:
Post a Comment