Ashley Cole has fallen foul of Chelsea’s policy of not offering contracts of more than a year in length to players over 30 years of age. With Manchester United and Real Madrid hovering over this situation (PSG and Juventus too, if certain reports are to be believed) ready to grab him, it seems that the England International, widely considered as one of the best left backs of his generation, might end his long and brilliant run with the Blues abruptly in the January window or in summer as a free agent. Obviously, one can always be optimistic that he and the club will reach an agreement which would keep him at the Bridge. Although it seems highly unlikely as the club are very adamant on sticking to the policy and not making any exceptions.
Ashley Cole couldn’t have started his Chelsea career more controversially after falling out with Arsenal over his proposed move to Stamford Bridge. He was found guilty of making contact with league rivals Chelsea over a possible move, without informing the Arsenal authorities for which he was charged. But things really started to get intense when Cole launched a verbal attack on Arsenal in his autobiography, claiming that the Arsenal board had treated him as a “scapegoat” and that they had “fed him to the sharks” over the tapping-up affair. He was left out of the Arsenal Team Photograph 2006-07, fuelling speculations and a move to Stamford Bridge was definitely on the cards. His career both on and off the field has been filled with controversies. But there is little doubt (or perhaps none) , that he has been one of the most consistent performers for the Blues during his time. So, the question is – Is it logical to let Ashley Cole leave in the near future or should Chelsea make an exception to their “30 plus policy” ? But before I try and answer that, it is important to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this policy just to get a clear idea of the situation.
First of all, the “30 plus policy” would help us reduce the wage bill considerably. We have one of the biggest wage bills in Europe and that really needs to come down especially because of the Financial Fair Play regulations, which might prevent us from working our transfers the way we want in the future. Players who keep performing well after 30, will be given their deserved one year extensions as seasons pass by. This would help the board cut losses over the wages of those players (Above 30, obviously) who can’t perform up to Chelsea standards even after giving their 100 percent. Secondly, our squad will have the right mix of youth and experience which has come into question in the recent years when many blamed our “old” squad for not achieving the success that we should, potentially. We will not have to spend big in one or two transfer windows like we did in recent years for the sake of rebuilding the squad completely. Young talent will get their shot of making it big, something which really needs to be one of our priorities, so that we don’t lose out on great footballers just because they can’t even get a shot at playing for the first team. Our squad will be filled with fresh and young blood who are hungry for success and have a thirst to perform their best in every game.
Not just that, the experienced players will also have to up their game as there will be intense competition for places, bringing the best out of them during their time at Chelsea. Nurturing young academy talent to help them reach their maximum will benefit our club as we won’t have to spend big to bring quality into our side. We already know the advantages of having a balanced side with the right mix of seniors as well as young players. The experienced will bring us composure, confidence and the right kind of leadership to win while the young will contribute with passion, flair and speed, something which I personally feel, every successful team should have.