Wenger shows interest in Cole, wants to keep Cesc

Manager Arsène Wenger has admitted that the prospect of Joe Cole signing for Arsenal would be 'exciting', but stopped short of confirming whether the club were actually in negotiations with the England international.

Cole is now a free agent after Chelsea themselves confirmed that they would not be retaining the 28-year-old's services, who is now with the England squad in South Africa.

The stumbling block to any deal seems to be Cole's wage demands, though to be within the £100,000 per week range, a figure that may push the limits of the club's wage policy.

Wenger said: "I like him as a player because when he played against us he always did a lot of damage.

"He can create impact through his creative play. He can dribble, he can pass, he can score goals."

Meanwhile, Wenger pretty much closed the door on Barcelona's hounding of captain Cesc Fabregas, saying that it wasn't in Arsenal's interests to sell their best players.

Wenger added: "What is important is that Cesc has a great World Cup and that he comes back to Arsenal with a great desire to do well for the club.

"We want to keep our best players – that's my huge determination – I built this team for years from 16 and 17 years of age with most of the players.

"We want to continue to work with them because we feel we are very close, and strengthen the team in a very strong way."

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