THE CHELSEA chairman, Bruce Buck, believes Ashley Cole would not escape the intrusion into his private life with a transfer to an overseas club. The Chelsea and England left-back feels hounded in England, where his every movement is tracked by the paparazzi and he has been installed as public enemy number one in some quarters following his separation from his pop-star wife, Cheryl.
Cole has three years to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge and loves playing for Chelsea but cannot tolerate the manner in which his private life has been placed under the most unforgiving of microscopes. Friends believe the situation has become so bad that he would seriously consider a move to the continent.
Real Madrid, who are managed by Cole’s former manager at Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, have an interest in him, although they have yet to make any official contact with the relevant figures at Stamford Bridge. Cole has maintained a good relationship with Mourinho. Buck, however, is not only adamant Cole is not for sale but he is determined to work with the player to help him to find some tranquillity off the pitch.
“Ashley is a superb player. He is a delight to deal with around the football club . . . he is really a model athlete,” Buck said. “Obviously, he is not happy with how his private life has become the focus of everything around him and I think we’d like to work with him so he has a bit of a lower profile. We don’t think the problem will change if he went to somewhere else outside of the UK, so I think we want to work with him to make his personal life more enjoyable.”
Buck was asked whether there was the recognition at Chelsea that Cole needed such help. “We say to all our players that might have personal issues that we want to help them as much as we can and even Carlo (Ancelotti, the manager) has said that on several occasions,” Buck replied. Buck added he was “not worried” the intrusion would drive Cole away. “Ashley Cole is not for sale,” he said. “That’s the bottom line on that.”
Buck had a similar message over Didier Drogba, in the wake of one of the striker’s advisers claiming to have had “direct contact” with Manchester City over a possible move for the striker to Eastlands. Buck said: “Didier is an important part of our plans for this season and the future and he is not for sale.”
Chelsea have grown weary of being linked to every big name in world football and the latest one came yesterday, when the Brazilian club Santos said they had rejected a bid from Stamford Bridge for 18-year-old striker Neymar. Reports in Brazil said the offer was close to €20 million.
Petr Cech has suffered a calf injury in training and the Chelsea goalkeeper fears the problem is a recurrence of the muscle tear he sustained in February’s Champions League tie against Internazionale in Milan.
