Arsene Wenger, the former Arsenal manager, has expressed that his decision to allow defender Ashley Cole to leave the Gunners and join Chelsea in 2006 was the “regret of his life.”
Having served as Arsenal’s manager for 22 years from 1996 to 2018, Wenger secured three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup trophies.
In a recent revelation, the Frenchman acknowledged one of his biggest mistakes during his tenure at the North London club, specifically mentioning the departure of Cole from Emirates 17 years ago.
“I would say that Ashley Cole is the player who left Arsenal and had a very successful career after Arsenal. It was a regret of my life,” Wenger stated during the Seaman Says podcast.
He further explained, “Recently, we had a meeting, and I was glad he was present because he had a negative sentiment, and I regretted his departure from the club at that time.”
Additionally, Wenger disclosed that Arsenal came close to signing both Cristiano Ronaldo and N’Golo Kante during his tenure at the club.
“We missed out on many great players. Ronaldo was close to joining us, as well as Kante. However, missing out on players of that caliber is a common occurrence for every football club,” he added.
