Arsene Wenger: Ashley Cole's transfer is one of my biggest regret

Ashely Cole with then teammates Wiltord and Robert Pires in 2003

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that letting Ashley Cole go is one the biggest mistakes of his managerial career. He admitted to The Guardian’s Amy Lawrence before the release of a book called ‘Invincible’ on his team’s unbeaten 2003-2004 season. Wenger was talking about the players of his team that went undefeated in the entire season.

The England left-back represented Arsenal in 156 league games and was also part of the Invincible team. He shifted to Chelsea in 2006, after insulting the Arsenal management for a contract offered to him. The 33-year-old has since received a hostile welcome on his returns to the Emirates.

When asked about Cole, the Gunners boss replied, “A regret of my career,”

“He left on a misunderstanding between his agent and the club. A fantastic fighter as well.

“The rest of his career has shown how big a player he is. It should have been here.”

The 64-year-old regretted losing the academy product because of a misunderstanding between the left-back and the Arsenal management and wished he should have remained a Gunner. Ashley Cole left Chelsea after eight seasons to Italy’s AS Roma this summer. He has so far made just four league appearances in the Serie A.