New Cole deal should be no Hassel

Posted Wednesday, December 19, 2012 by The Sun

MOVING ON? ... Ashley Cole could be heading for the Stamford Bridge exit door come next summer

JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK is baffled by Chelsea’s reluctance to offer Ashley Cole a longer deal.

Cole, 31, is out of contract next summer and is rumoured to be on the verge of quitting Stamford Bridge with just a one-year extension on the table.

He has been strongly linked with French giants Paris Saint Germain but Hasselbaink believes the Blues should give the England left-back what he wants.

The former Chelsea striker said: “With Cole, I don’t understand why they’re not offering him a two or three-year deal.

“Yes, he’s in his 30s, but he’s still very fit. On top of that, he is still the best left-back in the country — maybe even the world.

“It’s not going to be easy to replace him or even find someone capable of doing it. He plays the majority of games and is almost never injured, so why not give him a longer contract?”

Like Cole, midfielder Frank Lampard will be free to walk away from Chelsea at the end of the season.

Interim boss Rafa Benitez claims the situation is out of his hands but Hasselbaink wants the club to do everything possible to ensure Lamps sticks around for at least another 12 months.

He added: “If Lampard wants to sign a one-year contract, I think Chelsea should definitely offer him one.

“Don’t forget that Benitez still has a good core of Lampard, Cole, John Terry and Petr Cech — the only one that has left is Didier Drogba.

“It’s a good group of players and they all want to win. He still has them to rely on and I think the players are with Benitez because they want to be successful.”

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