Ashley Cole could soon be on his way back to England if Birmingham City boss Harry Redknapp has his way. Having failed in the pursuit of former Chelsea player John Terry who chose to move to Aston Villa, 36-year-old Ashley Cole is reportedly in the cross hairs of the St Andrew’s outfit.
One of the most decorated English players of all time, Cole features in a galaxy of legendary left-backs who have adorned the game. The Chelsea legend’s absence in the team is keenly felt till date as he has proven to be harder to replace than the likes of Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, John Terry et al. Chelsea boasts the likes of Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas, N’Golo Kante in midfield where as Gary Cahill, David Luiz etc. have proven their mettle in the centre of the defence.
The one position that continues to elude Chelsea, with arguably no one yet quite managing to fill the big shoes of Ashley Cole, is the left-back. The Blues have spent to the tune of £122m since Ashley Cole left in their attempts to refurbish the position. Highly acclaimed Atletico Madrid left back Filipe Luis didn’t quite fit in and was on his way back to Madrid after spending a season with Chelsea. The £21.7m Baba Rahman never really featured for the club.
Cesar Azpilicueta was converted from his natural right-back position into a left-back under Mourinho, and although the Spaniard did, in a way bolster the Chelsea defence, he was deployed as a centre-back in the last season after Conte switched to a 3-4-3.
Marcus Alonso flourished in his new role as a wing-back on the left flank, and did exceedingly well, surprising perhaps Conte himself; Chelsea’s swoop for Juventus’ Alex Sandro in the ongoing transfer window highlights the need for further reinforcements in a position which was taken care of by one man for almost 8 years.
Birmingham City have been quite busy in the transfer market, already having signed the likes of Cheikh Ndoye, Marc Roberts, Dan Scarr and David Stockdale. Redknapp has been suitably impressed by Cole’s performances in LA Galaxy colours and although the Los Angeles outfit wants to extend the Englishman’s contract that would see him retire at the club, Cole could be persuaded to ply his trade in his home country with the right offer.
It remains to be seen whether the 36-year-old, should the transfer go through, can cope with the comparatively faster and physical English game at this age.
