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London defender Ashley Cole is preparing to be booed by the fans of the city's neighbors - on Sunday at Stamford Bridge stadium, the player will wear the home team's blue shirt for the first time since the beginning of his career, not the red "Gunners" jersey.
Born in London, A. Cole started his professional football career in 1999 at Arsenal, but last year the player got involved in the so-called "tapping up" scandal, when he talked to Chelsea representatives without his employers' consent. Later, the defender extended his contract with Arsenal, but his relationship with the club deteriorated and at the end of the summer he was exchanged for Chelsea defender William Gallas and £5 million.
Furthermore, in his autobiography "My Defence," the player criticized Arsenal and stated that the club's offer of £55,000 per week contract "betrayed" him and made him feel unwanted. This further angered the team's fans, and as the match against his former club approached, A. Cole admitted to expecting hostility: "I have to be honest - I think I will be heavily booed. I know that some fans are very angry."
A former teammate of A. Cole at Arsenal, the eccentric goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, further fueled the tension before the game by saying that A. Cole deserves criticism for his move to Chelsea.
"Of course, Ashley should expect criticism from the fans on Sunday. He deserves criticism. This is football, this makes the game more interesting. If that didn't happen, it would mean he wasn't an important player for our team, but he was. He was a very important team member and with him we achieved impressive victories," Lehmann said.
Meanwhile, A. Cole insists that he did nothing wrong: "Some people will agree with what I did, some will not. But I didn't do it for the money, it was a matter of principle. I didn't feel wanted. Moving from one company to another in any other job is not a problem, but if you do it as a footballer, you are greedy and you leave for money. I'm not saying it's wrong, because footballers have a great life, but it's not easy."
"I think I will be booed when I return there, but if I had stayed at Arsenal, I would probably have been out anyway. I had to come to terms with that all last season, and it gave me strength, and I hope it will continue to strengthen me," the player said.
The booing might also be expected by Chelsea fans towards their disgruntled former defender W. Gallas, but the Frenchman will likely avoid the Stamford Bridge wrath as he probably won't appear in the match due to a thigh injury.
