Joe Cole to Old Trafford?
By Chris O'Brien
March 4 2004
Chelsea's Joe Cole has been linked with a move to Manchester United when the transfer window re-opens at the end of the season. The midfielder is yet to play a whole game for Chelsea since his pre-season move from West Ham United, and is believed to be desperate to leave the London club.
| Joe Cole to Old Trafford? |
| Manchester United have been linked with
want-away Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole, with Sir Alex Ferguson rumoured to be
lining up a bid for when the transfer window re-opens at the end of the
season. The England international is believed to be unhappy and frustrated at Stamford Bridge, playing second fiddle to the overpaid big guns Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has brought in, and could well be looking for a move away from the London club at the end of the campaign. Cole's frustration is understandable. The 22-year-old has started just 11 Premiership games since his £6.6million move to Chelsea from London rivals West Ham United in the summer, and has been substituted off in every single one of them. The fact that he has not yet played a full match for the Blues have really hampered Cole's chances of featuring regularly in Sven Goran Eriksson's England squad, and Claudio Ranieri is showing little sign of changing his selection policies. Frank Lampard, Geremi, Claude Makelele, Damien Duff and former Red Devils Juan Sebastian Veron are all ahead of Cole in Chelsea's picking order, and with United target Arjen Robben joining the club in time for next season, there is no sign of things improving for the former Hammer. Chelsea are expected to have another busy pre-season on the transfer market, with several players expected to arrive and leave Stamford Bridge. Sir Alex Ferguson could be set to exploit Chelsea's healthy transfer budget by snapping up the attacking-minded player for an estimated fee of about £4million. Abramovich and Ranieri are highly unlikely to negotiate a fee that is little more than pocket money to a club who have such huge masses of money available, and with Cole clearly unhappy at Chelsea, a move to Old Trafford could well happen. What are your thoughts on the latest rumour? Do you want to see Joe Cole in a Manchester United shirt? Leave your thoughts on the ManUtdWeb messageboard, and discuss the beautiful game with other Reds. |