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"The English champion London club has ended negotiations with concerning the acquisition of England national team left-back defender Ashley Cole. This was confirmed by the "Blues" head coach Jose Mourinho.
'Our offer is a great offer for a great player. It's all in their hands. They say no, and no means no. The offer has reached its limit. The club will not pay a penny more and I fully agree with that. For now, I have not lost patience. Ashley Cole is an "Arsenal" player and they have the power to say yes or no,' said the coach from Portugal.
It is believed that J. Mourinho offered about 20 million pounds for the defender, while "Arsenal" is asking for about five more. The strategist denied that money was offered without William Gallas, but did not rule out the possibility that negotiations could resume: 'We have been observing other players for some time. When you try to acquire a player, you cannot think that this is the only player in the world you can call, you must have alternatives. Of course, he was an important choice for us, but I think he is also important to them, and they would like to keep him. Whether the transfer will happen, you should ask "Arsenal". Would I try to acquire another left-back defender? I only need one, not two. However, there is still a possibility that the deal will happen.'
A. Cole has been linked with a move to "Chelsea" since he was punished together with Mourinho for meeting with "Chelsea" representatives without "Arsenal" knowledge in May 2005. Later, the player's relationship with the "Gunners" deteriorated even more, and in the advertising of his new book, the footballer criticized the club for making him the scapegoat of the whole illegal contacting story.
This week, "Arsenal" coach Arsene Wenger, like his colleague J. Mourinho, stated that he wants everything to be clarified in the near future: 'I don't know what will happen with Ashley Cole in the next few days, but in my opinion, it's time to make one decision or another. This week is the final deadline, when I hope something will happen.'
So A. Cole will most likely have to start the season with the "Arsenal" team. The defender, who played in last season's final and played for the England national team in the World Cup, was not included in the team for Tuesday's Champions League qualifying match against Zagreb's "Dinamo". Truth be told, A. Wenger said it was because of his lack of playing experience, not because participating in the tournament would prevent him from later representing another club."
