"If you're listening, I'm sorry" - Former Arsenal chairman apologises to Ashley Cole for 'not doing enough' to stop him from joining Chelsea

Former Arsenal chairman David Dein has apologised to former England left-back Ashley Cole for pushing him towards securing a transfer to London rivals Chelsea in 2006.

Cole, who joined the Gunners in 1997 as a teenager, established himself as one of the best in his position during his time at the north London outfit. He helped the Gunners win seven trophies, including Premier League titles in the 2001-02 and 2003-04 seasons.

An astute defender with a cultured left foot, Cole left the Highbury to join Chelsea in the summer of 2006 following a controversial contract dispute with Arsenal. He enjoyed a fruitful eight-year stint at Stamford Bridge, lifting nine pieces of silverware.

Speaking on talkSPORT, Dein expressed his regret about not offering Cole a deserved contract offer 16 years ago. He said:

"We should never have lost him, in my opinion. His contract came up for re-negotiation, and we didn't offer him the right sort of money; meanwhile, Chelsea did."

He continued:

"I got a call one day from a journalist from the News of the World at the time, and he said, 'We've got a hot story off the press; your player Ashley Cole is being tapped up. I think you should come and see us'. I went down to their offices, and they said, 'Here's a signed statement from a waiter at a restaurant where Ashley Cole is meeting Chelsea'."

He added:

"That was the end of that, and it really was a great shame because Ashley was home-grown, an Arsenal boy, and I regret that we didn't do enough at the time to keep him at the club. It was also at a time where we were talking about building the stadium and finances. We didn't go enough to keep him, and I regret that, with hindsight. Ashley, if you're listening, I'm sorry."

Cole scored nine goals and contributed 23 assists in 228 games across competitions for the north London outfit.

---

Arsenal and Chelsea to battle for Moussa Diaby

According to 90min, Arsenal a few other Premier League clubs sent their representatives to attend Bayer Leverkusen's 2-0 UEFA Champions League win over Atletico Madrid at home on September 13. The representatives were there to scout French forward Moussa Diaby, who scored the second goal of the game.

Diaby, 23, has three years left in his contract at the BayArena. He has established himself as a regular at Leverkusen in the last three seasons. Diaby has registered 36 goals and 39 assists across 133 appearances for them.