Monday, July 19, 2010

Is Joe Cole Still an Arsenal Target Despite Fabregas Staying?

English midfielder Joe Cole is yet to take the final decision on his next destination at club level. The 28-year-old has become a free agent after being released by Chelsea before the World Cup. A number of European clubs including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, AC Milan and Valencia have been linked with Joe Cole.

However, at one point, Arsenal and Tottenham looked to be in pole position in the race of securing his service, but it seems the situation has been changed to some extent.

First of all, Tottenham is far away from meeting his reported £120,000 wage demand, and Liverpool’s recent £90,000-a-week offer has pushed the North London club down in their desire to sign Joe Cole.

Moreover, it seems Joe Cole is not interested to join Tottenham Hotspur who can not ensure Champions League football on a consistent basis, even though Cole’s priority is to stay at London. So from this point of view, Arsenal could be his preferred destination. However, it would be interesting to see if Arsenal is still tracking the midfielder, while Fabregas’ staying of looks imminent.

It is true that Fabregas saga seems to have come to an end at least for this summer, but there is every possibility Barcelona could revive their interest next summer with an improved offer. So, Joe Cole may be still in the thinking of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, but there is no doubt, Wenger would not pay him a salary that he is demanding. Wenger is always strict when it comes to salary structure and he would not break it for Cole.

At 28, Joe Cole may think that it is the right time to make some cash in, and in that case Liverpool could be his next destination where he would also be one of the senior players in the squad. However, if he wants to stay at London, he must compromise with his wage demand.

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