By Fab4.
The Joe Cole situation got slightly confusing this morning as reports are split on where he will be playing football next season. It was confirmed yesterday that Cole will be released by Chelsea when is contract expires at the end of the month. A couple of outlets claim to have ‘sources’ who say a deal has already been agreed with Arsenal and he will officially sign after the World Cup. While another has quotes from the Arsenal chairman claiming Cole’s name never came up in a recent meeting with chief executive Ivan Gazidis. It’s like a pantomime!
Cole signs 4-year-deal with Arsenal
Let’s start with the exciting news first. Arsenalinsider were first to break the ‘exclusive’ and claim to have reliable sources that say Joe Cole is set to sign a £115,000pw, four year deal when he returns from the World Cup. The report says that all that is left is for Cole to put pen-to-paper on the contract that will see him take home more than £4m a year in wages, and more than £2m in bonuses.
Cole signs 3-year-deal with Arsenal
Goal.com then publish an ‘exclusive’ of their own, this time claiming that Cole has already signed a contract that will see him join Arsenal on an £80,000pw, three-year deal. Although the deal is dependent on Cole being able to prove his fitness after the World Cup. The report claims to have inside information that suggests Cole was put through a basic medical last Monday, which was enough for Arsene Wenger to snap him up on a free transfer. But due to Cole’s injury record, Wenger insisted on having a clause in the contract that meant he must pass a more rigorous examination when he returns from South Africa before the deal can be officially completed.
Now given the fact that one ‘source’ claims Cole will sign a £115,00pw, four year deal and the other says its a £80,000pw, three year deal means there is a certain amount of doubt about the credibility of both stories. Arsenalinsider certainly have a good reputation and wouldn’t want to jeopardize it and they have revealed ‘exclusives’ in the past. It’s conceivable that Goal.com saw Arsenalinsiders report and decided to spruce it up a bit with some talk about medicals and changed the figures slightly to make an exclusive of their own. The problem is you just don’t know who or what to believe these days.
Arsenal out of Cole race
To make things even more confusing, Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood is quoted in the Mirror as saying that manager Arsene Wenger “believes he already has enough midfielders of the same style,” and therefore does not need out-of-contract Cole and that his name was not even mentioned in a recent meeting with chief executive Ivan Gazidis.
“I had a long conversation with (chief executive) Ivan Gazidis, who had been with Arsene (Wenger) and his name never came up at all,”
This news has left Manchester United and Tottenham as favourites for Cole’s signature, although Liverpool and Manchester City remain in the hunt.
So if these quotes are reliable then it’s only fair to assume we should believe what we hear from the horses mouth and not some unknown ‘sources’, and that Arsenal are not close to signing Joe Cole. Of course the newspapers are just as likely to create some mythical quotes as websites are to make up ‘reliable sources’ so we’re back to square one. Not knowing what’s going on or who to believe. In the end it just comes down to what you want to believe. Because until something is officially announced, it’s all just speculation.
Who do you think Joe Cole will sign for?
