I joined Chelsea and cut all ties with Arsenal - I have absolutely no regrets

The former Premier League legend revealed what forced him to leave the Gunners for the Blues

Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender Ashley Cole has previously stated that he felt compelled to depart the Gunners for Stamford Bridge in 2006 following broken promises from the North London outfit. He also insisted that he has no regrets over the move.

The two sides Cole represented will face each other on Sunday, with Arsenal pursuing the Premier League title and Chelsea aiming to strengthen their position in the battle for European qualification.

Cole, now 45, maintained that Arsenal went back on an agreed contract which propelled his transfer. The ex-England international eventually completed the contentious switch to Chelsea for £5million in 2006, with Blues centre-back William Gallas moving in the opposite direction.

The transfer prompted certain sections of the Arsenal fanbase to conclude the move was financially motivated. This perception gained traction following Cole's infamous revelation in his autobiography that Arsenal's revised contract proposal of £55,000 per week left him "trembling with anger", to the extent that he nearly crashed his car in shock.

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Nevertheless, during an appearance on That Peter Crouch Podcast in January 2025, Cole insisted it was Arsenal's failure to uphold a previously agreed higher wage that forced his hand.

"My situation was I knew what I was worth," he said. "If you don't want to pay it, no problem. But we did agree to pay it. Everything was agreed and then they pulled the rug [from] under me. They broke their promise - I couldn't tell you why."

In 2005, Cole controversially held discussions with Chelsea's then-boss Jose Mourinho and the club's chief executive Peter Kenyon at a London hotel without Arsenal's knowledge.

The clandestine meeting led to Cole receiving a £100,000 fine from the Premier League, subsequently reduced to £75,000 following an appeal, with the discreet rendezvous labelled as an illegal approach.

When the two sides clashed in December 2006, sections of the Arsenal faithful expressed their displeasure towards Cole by brandishing mock £20 notes featuring his likeness. The supporters also christened him with the nickname "Cashley" - though Cole acknowledged he could appreciate their disappointment.

"It was hard [to leave]," he said. "People [don't] understand the pressure that I was under to leave or to stay," he said. "Ultimately I felt disrespected, this is my point of view, I felt disrespected.

"It is what it is, but sometimes when I speak to fans [and they say], 'You left, you hurt me', I'm like, 'Hold up'. People don't realise that I was the one who got hurt the most. That was my boyhood club, I'd been living the dream. But I got shafted."

Cole has consistently insisted his exit wasn't driven by financial gain, but rather by a quest for the recognition he felt he deserved.

"It wasn't that I felt I wasn't getting looked after because I was a young player," he added. "I didn't ask for [Thierry] Henry's or [Patrick] Vieira's [wages]. I didn't want that. I was nothing to do with them. I just knew what I was worth and they broke their promise.

"I look back and I was bitter. In my head I was going, 'You put me through some s***'. And they just went like, 'Ash, you deal with it, and it's nothing to do with us'. And I'm whatever age I was, 23, and I'm like, 'You knew what happened'.

"I think [former Arsenal vice-chairman] David Dein came out and mentioned something recently. But it took him like 20 years. For 20 years I got abused. I don't blame fans [though]. I understand their frustration. They didn't know the full facts, they didn't know the truth."

Cole's controversial switch to Chelsea proved successful in the end. During his eight seasons at Stamford Bridge, he made over 330 appearances and secured multiple honours, including the Premier League title, Champions League trophy, and four FA Cups.

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Meanwhile, Arsenal managed just a single FA Cup win in that period. During an appearance on ITV's Play To the Whistle in 2017, Cole confirmed he harboured no regrets about his decision to join the Blues.

He said: "I had a great time there, I missed the old players that were there but I moved on and won every trophy I could. "I wouldn't look back and say I regretted it, no."

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but aim a dig at his previous club. When questioned whether Arsenal's subsequent struggles brought him any satisfaction following his departure, he said: "If I'm honest, yeah - I still think to this day.

"I laugh to myself. I had a lot of history there and I think the way I left was maybe a bit dodgy but the lack of respect they showed me as well."

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