Cole Contract Worry

If he gives us a good performance then we can extend by a year as we did with drogba....its a win win for us all.

Eventually, in every players career, there is a point when he has to give way to a successor. I think this will be his last season for Chelsea and then he can still have a couple of lucrative years in the MLS.

I think there is some level of arrogance from Chelsea fans in regards to some players. The tone of posts insinuates the players and his agents are the ones chasing the clubs for a contract extension when it could be the other way around or it could just be no one is actually chasing anyone. For certain players like Cole and Lampard this could be the case since they can go to the MLS, china or Russia and make a boat load of money. While certain players won't warrant such huge pay days. However, I am indifferent to whatever happens with Cole or Lampard although I wil advise they take the Drogba route. This is not because they are not needed at Chelsea anymore, but it being time to get paid man especially in such uncertain times when your current savings can be wiped out as a result of this uncertain world. They've also won all there is to win in footy except Euros and World cup which looks like centuries away with this English team. Why should I take a 1 year renewable contract with a significant pay cut when china and middle east are calling with 200k?

Not for sale at any price.... even if he's 36. He's still the best in his position and the most consistent... He's has more experience than Terry with trophies and clubs, and he's a proven winner. He should not be sold... we'll regret it. Bertrand can't even get into the England / Team GB squad and some people here are already lining him up to replace the Legend of Ashley Cole.... what a disgrace? If Ryan wasn't English, he wouldn't even be in the Chelsea reserves KTBFFH

I don't understand the clubs policy for 30 year old players. If they're good enough, in good shape and have the right mentality, their contribution to a winning team could be worth far more than a years wasted salary.

i love ryan bertrand but cole looks sharper than ever to me this pre-season & is still undoubtedly the best left back in the world so i support giving him another year but would be okay if we dont so ryan becomes first choice with deen-conteh backing him up looks better than pva to me...

at least one more year for him but he might want more like drogba did.

@oldmatersjds a player that is over 30years can have a very big turn around in form such that he can turn from being a significant member of the squad to a complete liability. Malouda was our 3rd best player of the double winning season of 09/10(after didi & lamps) and was deservedly(IMO) given a 3year lucrative deal extension. He was 30 then.But almost every fan on VC will tell u that he is now a liability to the club. So i believe the club should stick to that policy, there is no player at that age that is above replacement.

The club policy of only offering 1 year renewals for players over 30 is a sound one..as others have opined here..there is wisdom to this policy..Ashley is a once in a generation type of player..he is really still one of the top 5 left backs in the world even at his age but despite that we should not be offering him any thing more than a 1 yr renewal when the time comes and i like KAKU would understand if rather than accept that he decides to ride of to the far east of MLS. While it is fully in his rights to do so i would not want him joining another BPL team..what this means is that ryan needs to get way more games this season to prepare for the succession and PVA needs to be placed on alert for a possible return back home after all his loan sojourns next season to take up the mantle as our back up to ryan. Ryan is very good but anyone who says he is Ashleys level is just kidding themselves..there is still a considerable gulf in class and quality between the two but thankfully ryans greatest strength is his defense..his overlapping ability and speed going forward need a lot of work and probably will never equal Coles but his crossing ability is actually on par or better.

@oldmaster I think you admitted my point in your reply.... "If they're good enough, IN GOOD SHAPE". Cole openly admits to having an ongoing ankle issue which has been known to sideline him on numerous occasions. Offering him a multi-year deal at such an age has the potential to become very costly if in effect we are paying him to sit in the treatment room. As much as I rate Cole as one of the finest LBs in club/country/world history, it doesn't change the fact that I wouldn't want to see him gain a multi-year contract on his current wage levels. I'm not sure if your last comment is advocating the stay of Malouda or not? Malouda was a superb player for us in the past, but his match play has deteriorated and he is no longer the player he once was. He no longer can contribute to the levels that we pay him on a regular basis and therefore I would hope that he is allowed to move onto a less demanding club/league where he can enjoy his football into his twilight years. Hopefully this can be MLS, Russia or Far East where they can pay him a handsome retirement wage. Either way I want to see something good for the guy, but that something good needs to be away from this club.

Ashley himself has already said that he wants to go to MLS when his contract expires at CFC. I do hope he changes his mind though.

I hope he signs an extension, but we don't NEED him to continue with us. Barring a severe injury, Cole could play at the top level for another 3 years easily. But Bertrand already looks great and PVA is a solid 2nd option.

http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/NewsAndFeatures/2012/john-terry-charged.aspx

Roberto Carlos left Madrid for Turkey (Fener). The comparison between Malouda and Ashley Cole is a shaky one. Malouda found great form when his role in the team changed, and that great form evapourated when his role in the team reverted. It was standard in the English media to describe Ancelotti's double-winning Chelsea squad as playing a 4-3-3 with Anelka on the right and Malouda on the left, but that comes well short of fully capturing what was going on. If anything the system was more like an asymmetrical diamond with Malouda playing as the trequartista. His struggles with winning one-on-ones with opposition fullbacks were margainalised, his close control and vision were emphasised, and he had a great run of form. After he was restored to playing as a more traditional winger, that form dried up. AVB started to realise this, too, but only too late in his stint as manager; Malouda put in a few very decent performances last season in the middle of the park (given our lack of quality in that area of the pitch, you could even argue he was our best performer in the role), but with the sacking of AVB, those opportunities vanished before he was able to establish himself in the role. Digression aside, though, this uncertainty about what role to fill in the team is not an issue for Cole. His role in the team is very well defined and unlikely to change significantly no matter what else happens with the rest of the team. And make no mistake, he's still arguably the best in the world (and one of the three or four in history who can make a case for "greatest of all time"). His workrate and fitness are such that we've every reason to expect he'll continue at that level for a few years yet; sure, he's had some niggling trouble with his ankle, but it's not something likely to prematurely end his career. And even if it might, some players are worth gambling on. It's one thing if Cole wants to move on, but the club should be very interested in holding onto him; we'll unquestionably be a weaker side without him in the squad.

I think giving Cole a year's extension would be wise for Chelsea. I personally think Bertrand's not completely ready to be first choice and I think he need's a few more games to be eased in before eventually becoming our regular. One more year playing back up to Cole will be invaluable to his development and learning as he'll be learning from one of the worlds best LB in Cole. He especially need's to improve his positioning and his decision making on when to go forward. By next season he will be completely ready. I just don't feel his development shouldn't be rushed.

Yes Cole is 32 but as it stands, he is still arguably one of the best left full back in the world definitely in the top 3 in my opinion and he is not showing any major signs of default so why would we not offer him another 2years at least. Bertrand is very promising and its comforting to know we have a good cover for Cole. I think this is the season for him to cement his place in the first team so that by 2013/2014 Cole if we still got him could be acting as cover for Bertrand in a reverse of positions and hopefully one of our youths will be ready to step up. If however Cole decides to look for big bucks like his Drogba and Anelka have done, we should send him off in fanfare because he has served us well!

Drogba single handedly gave us the boost we needed last season,yet we didn't give him a 2 year extension...any player over 30 should be treated as such

Another thing to consider here is the FFP rulings. Any player whose contract predates the FFP system doesn't count towards the FFP limits (e.g. a player signed in 2009 with their existing contract won't be included in the profit/loss calculations). If you take a very high earner and renew the contract, suddenly you get hit by their wages for FFP (as they have effectively got a new contract). Imagine what would have happened if Drogba, Cole, Lampard, Bosingwa as well as Cech got new contracts. How much extra a week would it cost? £500k?? That would be a hit of about £26m per year! So the question remains, are some of these older players worth the risks of a multiyear contract. Simple answer is no. If a player is healthy enough then they'll be happy with continual 1 year extensions (e.g. Giggs). If they play well and stay fit then there should be no reason not to extend for a further year, and if the player really loves the club more than their pay packet then they sign and there's no problems. If the club don't renew they are free to go anywhere they wish (Russia, MLS, China??) where he wages can be high for an experienced superstar. You have to ask yourself why, other than greed, would any player in our old guards position need more than a 1 year extension on their contract?

@slein jinn dogmatism is just as bad as selective justice. Like desmondadonis said, drogba wanted a 2year deal but the board insisted on it policy. Giggs & scholes have been on a 1year rolling deal for the past 6seasons and if by the end of next season they feel(and ve shown through their performances) that they can continue, they would be offered another year. Cole can be our 1st choice LB for the next 5years playing 1year at a time. If u give cole a multi year deal, then u ve to do the same for terry, lamps and others who would feel that they ve earned it. The club ve to protect itself(with FFP onboard). The policy also will continue to challenge players to be on top of their game to merit another year deal.

well i think, one year renewable contract xtension is the best option the club can do to protect themself frm FFP. And @the same time i dnt want to lose cashley

And today it is reported that Manchester United are mulling on making a bid. How pathetic rumors/things can turn to be