Chelsea desperately need to keep hold of this experienced star

Ashley Cole earned a one year contract extension last season, which many have felt will be his last year at the club. With that in mind, at 32-years-old he is still firmly Chelsea’s first choice left-back with Ryan Bertrand nowhere near to putting him under pressure for a the left-back slot, so should Chelsea give the former Arsenal man another new deal? The Mirror report that the left-back is willing to put pen to paper for a new deal.

Cole’s form this season

Some people believe that Cole’s form has been dipping, but in truth he is still playing at a very high level. His form is often considered in the context of Leighton Baines’ at Everton, which isn’t really fair given the different styles of both players and the fact that Everton are somewhat built to play to Baines’ strengths. Cole has been a consistently good performer for Chelsea this season and is a big reason why they have the third best defensive record in the Premier League.

Against Manchester City this was clear to see as he nullified City’s attacks down the right hand side. Cole made seven tackles in this fixture and also completed 94% of his passes in what was a very effective left-back performance. Chelsea defended deep in this fixture and Cole was critical at making sure the side weren’t penetrated in behind:

Ashley Cole Action Areas v Man City

As we can see he timed his forward runs carefully and was primarily focused on his defensive game, rather than raiding forward like he used to. In terms of keeping in line with his fellow defenders and being aware of where the player he is marking is, there are few better full-backs in world football.

It’s also worth noting that Cole is Chelsea’s second top tackler after Ramires with 2.6 tackles per game (at a success rate of 73%) and also the clubs joint top interceptor with 11 interceptions, as well as generally making three Defensive Actions per game.

Cheslea’s Top Five Interceptors

Conclusion

Chelsea have one of the strongest defences in the country and Ashley Cole is a huge part of that. The England international might not be as popular as Leighton Baines but few can deny his quality, which was evident in the big game against Manchester City. The Blues should consider giving him a one year extension, especially in the context that Ryan Bertrand (with respect) is nowhere near good enough to come into the side and hit the same levels. If Chelsea released Ashley Cole they’d have to spend an awful lot of money signing a replacement, which doesn’t seem economically viable when they already have such an accomplished full-back, even if he is getting older.