---
title: "Moving to Chelsea was the best thing for Ashley Cole"
canonical: "https://readchelsea.com/2015/10/12/moving-chelsea-best-thing-ashley-cole/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Oliver Birch"
section: "Chelsea News"
published: "2015-10-12T19:25:04Z"
modified: "2015-10-13T21:48:59Z"
---

# Moving to Chelsea was the best thing for Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole’s move from Arsenal to Chelsea in 2006 was the best thing that ever happened to the left-back, says his agent Jonathan Barnett.

According to [The Daily Express](https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/611561/Ashley-Cole-transfer-news-Arsenal-Chelsea-2006), Barnett believes Cole’s £5m move to Chelsea; a move which saw William Gallas go the other way, was the best move for the former England international.

Despite Barnett admitting Cole would have stayed at Arsenal had they not gone back on their word, he claims that the move to Stamford Bridge has made Cole “much better off.”

![Ian Walton/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readchelsea.com/readchelsea/2015/10/465197435.jpg)

The full-back forced the move across London when he was left “trembling with anger” after Arsenal had offered him a contract worth £55,000-a-week, with Cole reportedly close to crashing his car when he heard the offer.

And Barnett, who was fined £100,000 and banned from all footballing activity for 18 months for his involvement in the deal, insists the defender would have signed the contract had Arsenal been honest about his contract.

Speaking to [The Guardian, Barnett said](https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/oct/12/football-gareth-bale-ronaldo-real-madrid-joe-hart-ashley-cole-jonathan-barnett):

![Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images Sport](https://media.readchelsea.com/readchelsea/2015/10/144812158.jpg)

> I think I made mistakes. But I also think I was harshly treated. I was made a scapegoat, because it goes on all the time. If Arsenal hadn’t gone back on their word, Ashley would have stayed 100% and that would never have happened.
>
> But it \[moving to Chelsea\] was probably the best thing that ever happened to Ashley Cole. Arsenal won nothing, he won everything and financially he was much better off.