Ashley Cole revealed in an exclusive interview that his time playing for Arsenal was like a dream come true, while he felt more frustrated during his time at Chelsea.

Ashley Cole, the newly inducted member of the Premier League Hall of Fame, has opened up about his mindset during his controversial transfer from Arsenal to Chelsea. Speaking at the Premier League Hall of Fame 2024 Inductions event in London, Cole revealed that he was an “angrier” player who was solely focused on winning when he made the move.

The transfer, which took place in 2006, was one of the most controversial in Premier League history. Cole left his boyhood club, Arsenal, for Chelsea, a move that intensified the already fierce rivalry between the two clubs. The clash of philosophies between managers Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho was evident both on and off the pitch.

During his time at Arsenal, Cole was pictured in a meeting with Mourinho and Chelsea’s chief executive, Peter Kenyon, while still being an Arsenal player. This led to fines for both Cole and the club for breaking league rules. In his autobiography, Cole admitted that he was left “trembling with anger” and was so upset by Arsenal’s contract offer that he nearly drove his car off the road. The offer was reportedly £55,000 per week, a figure that Chelsea doubled.

The transfer caused Arsenal fans to turn against Cole, and subsequent visits to Stamford Bridge saw fake banknotes with Cole’s face printed on them being thrown from the away end. However, Cole would have the last laugh.

During his time at Chelsea, Cole won numerous titles, including a Premier League title, four FA Cups, the Champions League, Europa League, and League Cup. In contrast, Arsenal only won one FA Cup during the same period. Reflecting on his time at both clubs, Cole revealed that his favorite moment at Arsenal was not winning the double or the historic unbeaten league title, but rather his debut.

Speaking exclusively to TNT Sports’ Jaydee Dyer, Cole said, “When you retire, you respect both clubs immensely. The joy I had at Arsenal, my boyhood club – it gave me everything and I’ll never, ever forget that. In terms of a magic moment, even though I won trophies, it has to be making my debut at Highbury. As a kid, walking up that Highbury Hill and into that marble hallway, it gives me goosebumps. Going through those massive black doors, how tight the pitch was, I lived the dream.”

He continued, “At Chelsea, I had a different kind of mentality. I was angrier when I went there. I played with more anger. I wanted to win, it was all about winning. My magic moment was winning the Champions League.”

Cole, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest full-backs of all time, also discussed the challenges faced by modern-day full-backs. He highlighted the technical demands of the position, which now require full-backs to have attacking abilities similar to those of forwards. Cole praised four current Premier League stars who exemplify the role, with a special mention for Tottenham Hotspur youngster Destiny Udogie.

Speaking about the evolution of the full-back position, Cole said, “I felt the way I played, I was good defending my box, in the middle third I was good, in the attacking third I was decent, but playing with more width. Now full-backs have to be good enough to play inside, be comfortable receiving with players behind them.”

He added, “Technically, you have to be better than my generation of full-back, which you have to applaud and give credit to the top ones – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Andy Robertson, bombing up and down, and can do everything. Udogie at Tottenham I think is elite.”

Cole, who is currently the assistant manager for the England Under-21 team under Lee Carsley, was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame this week alongside Andy Cole and his former teammate John Terry.