Great fire of London is under control

SOCCER: Chelsea and Arsenal have been Premiership clubs at war for much of the last two years, but last night the guns finally fell silent. A feud which once threatened to plunge English football into crisis is over and, for the time being, the English Football Association's disciplinary chiefs can rest easy.

But if the peace accord which now exists between north and west London is a surprise, then its timing is incredible. It was just a week ago that Ashley Cole finally completed one of the most bitterly-disputed transfers in living memory by leaving Arsenal for Stamford Bridge; on the same night, Chelsea's William Gallas travelled in the opposite direction, with a string of damning accusations from his former employers ringing in his ears. The fuse had been lit and the Premiership braced itself for the explosion.

It never came. Instead, the customary snide jibes were replaced by bubbly bonhomie. "The good thing was how Chelsea and Arsenal behaved in negotiating the deal," Mourinho said at the press conference held to unveil Cole.

"Everything was very correct: Chelsea fought for the player and Arsenal fought for the best deal.

"I have no problem with Arsenal. I cannot wish them good luck because we have the same objective as them, to win the Premiership. I want us to have all the luck so for that reason I cannot wish any for them. But as far as I am concerned the relationship is positive now."

And Wenger? Surely Chelsea's allegations that Gallas had threatened to score own goals and engineer his own sending-off if he had been picked by Mourinho - claims the French defender vehemently denies - would provoke a riposte? Apparently not.

"I was surprised at what Chelsea said but I can only say that whenever I've seen Gallas play he always made our lives very difficult," Wenger said. "Why they did it I don't know - only Chelsea can answer that. But was the statement they made disappointing to me? Not at all."

Of the two, Wenger can afford to be sanguine. He did not want to lose Cole, but he has been resigned to his departure ever since the left-back's illegal meeting with Mourinho and Chelsea's chief executive Peter Kenyon in a London restaurant was exposed in January 2005.

Wenger asked his disgruntled defender to spend another year in north London in an attempt to rebuild relations with the club's hierarchy. Cole agreed, but at the end of last season he informed the Arsenal manager that his mind had not changed.

It was then Wenger, not the player, who suggested that Chelsea might revive their interest. The Frenchman - who admitted yesterday "I would have sold Ashley even if Chelsea had not offered me Gallas" - now finds himself in the happy position of possessing one of the top flight's most polished, and versatile, defenders, plus a useful €8 million spending money for the January sales.

Mourinho, in contrast, will not be able to quell the nagging concern that Gallas' rebellion, combined with the sale of Robert Huth to Middlesbrough, has left him dangerously short of central defensive cover. Nobody can argue with Chelsea's stock of left-backs - "We now have the best two in England," Mourinho observed, referring to Cole and Wayne Bridge - but their renowned solidity would be sorely tested if John Terry or Ricardo Carvalho fell injured.

His consolation, of course, is Cole. The 25-year-old will make his debut today against Charlton, although Mourinho will hope his latest acquisition will be more on-message this afternoon than he was yesterday. Amid the generally harmonious atmosphere, Cole's vicious swipes at his former club jangled harsh and out of tune.

"I thought I would be at Arsenal for the whole of my career so of course it hurt when I felt I wasn't wanted," he said. "People probably view me as a greedy pig but I am genuinely not like that. It's never been about money; it's about respect and I feel that was owed to me at Arsenal. I gave everything for that club and I don't feel Arsenal held me in as high regard as they should have done."

Cole has made such remarks before and more are sure to follow. His much-anticipated autobiography is due to be published next week, together with its scathing criticisms of Arsenal and, in particular, their vice-chairman David Dein. The uneasy truce could yet prove short-lived.