Wenger: I fear Cole exit this summer
Written by Jonathan Chong on Thursday, May 19, 2005
Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger has said that whilst left back Ashley Cole would not be forced out by Arsenal, the England international could be directed to leave by his agent.
Wenger said: "We have no rift with Ashley Cole at all because we want to keep Ashley Cole. With his agent? Let's allow this story to be completed and then we can see what happens. I'm more concerned that the agent will try to move Ashley Cole than us not wanting to talk to his agent.
"On our side we have no problem to speak to him and sign a contract. What the agent will want to do, I don't know. If he doesn't want to talk to us he will try to move him, so he has to decide.
"I am completely convinced it has not been instigated by Ashley Cole. Do you really think Ashley Cole gets the phone and says: 'Hey, Peter Kenyon, come on, I am organising a meeting at the hotel, bring Mourinho with you and I will bring my agent and we will have a nice meeting.'
"His agent is certainly is certainly part of it," Wenger continued. "I don't know what happened in there but you can get any player anywhere you want. He doesn't always know who will attend.
"Sometimes the players go somewhere and they are told the chairman of Real Madrid will be there and they find they are facing another agent who will want to negotiate between them and Real Madrid."
The Arsenal manager also revealed that he had been prevented to testify at the inquiry by Chelsea.
He said: "First they wanted me in there - the Chelsea lawyers had asked for me to attend - and then finally I was not needed. I'm sub.
"I thought at first they wanted me this afternoon but they told me: 'No, you stay at home, you're not playing'. I'm not needed any more. I don't know why.
"What would I have told them? That I am very happy that they tap up our players just before we play Man United and they can do it again? What can I tell them? You have the rules and as well the behaviour that you live in the same city and you do not say: 'Come on, let's take a player behind the back of a club that is just next door.' It is common sense. It is part as well of living intelligently together."
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