Ashley Cole says he does not think he will be at Chelsea next season and is seeking “another journey in my life” after eight years at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old left-back, who announced his England retirement after 107 caps earlier this month, is out of contract this summer.<\/p>\n
“I am weighing up my options for playing next season with my agent,”<\/p>\n
“Sadly, it does not look like Chelsea will be one of them.”<\/p>\n
Cole helped Chelsea win the Premier League title in 2010 as well as the 2012 Champions League.<\/p>\n
He has also won four FA Cups with the Blues, to add to the three he secured with Arsenal, following his move to Stamford Bridge from the Gunners in August 2006.<\/p>\n
Cole won the 2007 League Cup with Chelsea and was part of the club’s Europa League triumph under interim manager Rafael Benitez in 2013.<\/p>\n
But he endured a frustrating 2013-14 campaign under returning manager Jose Mourinho, starting just 15 Premier League games in a trophy-less season for the Blues.<\/p>\n
“Now I’ll be looking for another journey in my life,” added Cole. “I hope it can be like my others, full of fun and of course win something.”<\/p>\n
Cole signed a one-year extension to his Chelsea contract, which was due to expire last summer, in January 2013.<\/p>\n
But with a new deal at Stamford Bridge looking unlikely, Cole has resigned himself to leaving after 229 Premier League appearances.<\/p>\n
“Thank you Chelsea for making my eight years a pleasure. We’ve been through a lot, good and bad,” continued Cole.<\/p>\n
“And of course the fans. How do I start, I can only say thank you for giving the boys confidence to win some amazing trophies.<\/p>\n
“To the fans that have stood buy me through thick and thin, I will always have you in my heart.”<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, Chelsea boss Mourinho said he did not think Cole would leave the club.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know but I don’t think so. The club knows my opinion,” said the Portuguese.<\/p>\n
Last week Chelsea captain John Terry signed a new one-year deal to keep him at Stamford Bridge until 2015.<\/p>\n
But the future of long-serving midfielder Frank Lampard, who is also out of contract this summer, has yet to be decided.<\/p>\n
Cole retired from international football earlier this month after manager Roy Hodgson left him out of England’s World Cup squad.<\/p>\n
He made his international debut against Albania in March 2001 and went on to become only the seventh England player to reach a century of caps when he appeared in a friendly win over Brazil in February 2013.<\/p>\n
Former Liverpool defender Alan Hansen, on his final Match of the Day appearance, said Cole was one of the greatest players the Premier League has seen.<\/p>\n
“As a full-back for Arsenal, Chelsea and England there is nobody better in Premier League history,” said the eight-time title winner.<\/p>\n
“I would have taken him [to the World Cup] but I can understand why Roy Hodgson hasn’t.<\/p>\n
“I watched him play in the Champions League and against Liverpool and he was excellent.<\/p>\n
“But he hasn’t been playing a lot and that’s probably the reason why Roy hasn’t taken him.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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