By Myles Palmer
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ARSENE WENGER is absolutely right to say the Colegate hearings should NOT be in FA Cup Final week.
The meeting at the Park Hotel, between Ashley Cole, his agent Jonathan Barnett, Jose Mourinho, Pini Zahavi and Peter Kenyon was on January 27.
THAT WAS FIVE MONTHS AGO.
The story broke in The News of the World the following Sunday.
On the Monday I said : I don’t see how Cole can stay at Arsenal with Jonathan Barnett as his agent.
Only time will tell how this will pan out.
But I’m an impatient man, so I’m gonna make a few guesses
COLE and CHELSEA will be fined.
Cole has a choice now.
And Arsenal have a choice too.
Cole’s choice is : Stay with Barnett and leave Arsenal. Or stay at Arsenal and leave Barnett.
Arsenal’s choice is : Do we want to sell him or keep him?
Is there a market for Ashley Cole? Is there anybody out there who wants to pay £20 million for him ?
IF ARSENAL WANT to keep Ashley they could pay his fine as a goodwill gesture.
And they could say, “Right, we forgive you, get a new agent, you’re our boy now.You’ve learned a lot from this stupid episode. Don’t do it again.”
Or Arsenal could say, if it’s proved that Cole initiated the meeting with Chelsea, that they don’t want him at the club, since he sets a very bad example to other players.
Monday’s Steve Stammers story was timed to embarrass Jonathan Barnett.
That story must have been leaked to the Evening Standard by the club. It said that JB wanted £750,000 paid to him by AFC for Cole to sign a new five-year contract.
That is, £150,000 per year paid annually for every year of that contract.
That demand is outrageous!!!!!!!!!
I AM BORED BY THIS STORY which is why I have not written about it here for many weeks.
My view today is EXACTLY the same as it was on Monday 31st January : I don’t see how Ashley Cole can stay at Arsenal with Jonathan Barnett as his agent.
If Ashley Cole is pleading restraint of trade,that suggests to me that HE initiated the meeting with Chelsea.
I’m bored because nothing has happened. And my view has not changed. I think Cole will be sold and I sincerely hope he is sold.
THE FA CUP FINAL is between the kids and the kickers.
If Darren Fletcher starts, United will play football.
If Quinton Fortune starts, United will kick.
In a football match, United cannot beat Arsenal in a fair game played within the rules, even though Ronaldo and Rooney are two of the world’s finest players.
Rob Styles is a strict ref. That is good for Arsenal.
Lehmann is far better than Carroll. That is good too.
Lauren will be missed if he doesn’t play. He shouts a lot in the dressing room, which Arsenal need.
Almost six, I’m off to watch the TV news.
Wanna to see how they summarise today’s electric Senate hearing, where the repulsive Senator Norm Coleman was annihilated by honest George Galloway.
May 17th 2005