Ashley Cole: Chelsea and Arsenal Premier League legend in line for manager role

Another former Premier League star could be set to make his first foray into senior team management. We’ve seen stars such as Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick take to the dugout in recent years - now, it could soon be Ashley Cole’s turn.

According to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Cole is being ‘targeted by a string of Championship clubs’ who are all thought to be interested in appointing him as their new head coach.

While it is unclear who these clubs may be at this stage, both Hull City and Plymouth Argyle are searching for a new head coach at the moment - so it can be speculated that they may well be in the mix.

Cole has been working in various coaching roles for several years now. He was part of Lampard’s coaching team at Chelsea, moving onto become Lee Carsley’s assistant for England’s U21s team. He then reunited with Lampard at Everton, before leaving the club together in January of 2023. When Wayne Rooney was appointed as manager of Birmingham, he joined his backroom staff as a first team coach.

During his playing career, Cole spent seven years at Arsenal, where he was part of the famous ‘Invincibles’ team, before making a controversial switch to Chelsea in 2006. He went on to win the Champions League with the Blues, before finishing up his career with brief spells at Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County. Additionally, Cole also made 107 appearances on the international stage for England.

On Cole’s progression as a coach, former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said: “He has character, he is a fighter. Today he’s a coach. I didn't necessarily expect that from him, but the vibes I've had from people is that he's a very good coach, and that sums him up."