After months of rumors and reports, Ashley Cole is officially a member of the LA Galaxy.
The Galaxy announced on Wednesday that they have signed Cole, the 35-year-old fullback who earned 107 caps for England between 2001-14. Cole most recently featured for Roma, but terminated his deal with the Serie A club last week.
“Ashley is one of the world’s most successful defenders and has played at the highest level of competition throughout his career,” said Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena in a club statement. “He can provide our defense with valuable experience. We look forward to his contribution to our club this season.”
Cole, who will not be a Designated Player, joins the Galaxy after establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s best fullbacks throughout the last two decades. A mainstay for Arsenal from 1998-2006, Cole was a member of the Gunners’ Invincible team that went unbeaten through the 2003-04 season. The Englishman joined Chelsea in 2006 and went on to claim a UEFA Champions League trophy, a Premier League crown and four FA Cups.
With his move to the Galaxy, Cole joins fellow newcomer Jelle Van Damme on a restructured Galaxy backline. In addition, the Galaxy have added MLS veterans Dan Kennedy, Mike Magee and Jeff Larentowicz, as well as forward Emmanuel Boateng this offseason.
What do you think of the Cole signing? How will he fit with the Galaxy? Any concerns?
Share your thoughts below.
So, seeing he and Robbie Rogers play the same position, does Robbie sit?
Can’t wait to see Nagbe hot-knife-thru-butter his old ass.
Here’s the thing. Galaxy sold Sarvas to Colorado, ostensibly to have $ and a spot available for Gerrard. Then this off season they sold Omar and Juninho and got the Belgian (Damme?) and now Cole. The Belgian is getting the TAM that was used to buy down Omar’s DP money. Juninho was getting less than DP or TAM, since that was used on other players. So, in effect, the Galaxy have traded Sarvas for Gerrard, Omar for the Belgian, and now Juninho for Cole. Maybe the Belgian is an upgrade, but is Cole really a better investment than Juninho who is much younger for the same amount of money? (Yes I know they play different positions, I’m talking about the quality of the players. They could have used the money spent on Larentowicz and/or Magee for a good LB) And is Gerrard more valuable than Sarvas was? Plus there is the fact that Omar, Sarvas, and Juninho had all played for the club for 3-5 years, were integrated into the team, knew what Coach Arena wants, and are familiar with the league and opponents. When you really look at it closely, I don’t see that these moves have improved the team.
This was my assessment a few weeks ago too when I compared the numbers. They got older, more expensive and most likely two of the three players will be done within the next year or two.
Anything less than a trophy this year is a complete failure.
Arguably the best left-back in the world…ten years ago. Plus he said coming to MLS was equivalent to vacationing on the beach. Overall, pretty embarrassing move for the Galaxy and the league.
Galaxy and USMNT fans should fondly remember Landon Donovan absolutely shredding Ashley Cole when Donovan was on loan at Everton and Cole was still a full time starting left fullback with Chelsea. And that was what, five years ago? Cole will have to rely on guile and experience to pin down the Ethan Finleys and Jordan Morrises that are now dotting the MLS.
That said – the Galaxy have spent the last two seasons barely able to keep four defenders on the pitch, they have had so many injuries on their back line. Anyone remember Baggio Husidic playing left back? That was just last season. Arena is no doubt taking the approach of “get me as many defenders as you can, and hopefully we can make it through the season” approach to his 2016 roster.
+1 I totally remember that game…..Fondly! As a season ticket holder, I can attest to the struggles Galaxy have at keeping healthy in the back. For 300k, I’m eh to this move but like that we’re adding depth. We’ll see if Cole plays like he gives a sh@t or not!
This is exactly the type of player that MLS needs to stay away from old, complainer, knocked MLS, OLD , OLD. Go get younger players from South and Central America that are younger and better than Cole.
Stop bringing in old English players.
Like every player, he will have to prove himself on the field. The notion that a 35 year old can’t play the game at a high level (much less a high enough level to compete in MLS) is unwarranted. Henry may have been the best player in MLS at 36-37. Drogba tore up the league last year. Beckham was more effective as he got older in MLS. There remains a large gulf in talent between top stars with proven resumes and your average MLS player, and as long as the player is healthy there is no reason to believe he can’t be a success in MLS. And if he isn’t a DP and not costing much, its a no brainer to give someone like Cole a shot.
We’ll see if there’s anything left in the tank.
Bruce Arena’s teams are always contenders to win MLS Cup. Hate on Ashely Cole all you want (and I’m definitely not a fan of his), but he will play a role in this Galaxy team and they will be amongst the favorites to win the league this year.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Super League just signed Gervinho and Ramires this week and are targeting Yaya Toure.
and they paid like $30M to sign Ramires. which is more insane than Cole at $300k.
That doesn’t really matter. That league, moreso their teams, know they need to splash money to attract the big names, and it’s working. They also got Fredy Guarin this week too. That league has basically bought up most of the Corinthians teams in Brazil also.
The Chinese Super League is starting to make waves in the player transfer market and people are starting to pay attention and more and more players are going to be interested in going over there. They outspent spent every league in the January transfer window. This isn’t the Qatari or UAE leagues we’re talking about here. China is deadly serious about making their league a world power they’re putting their money towards it.
Brazilian players are already speaking fondly of the CSL and Dunga has already begrudgingly said he’s going to have to scout the Chinese league in earnest now because the flow of Brazilian players over there will probably be a permanent thing that Brazilians will have to get used to.
what’s your point? MLS is not at a point where anyone is going to pay a $30M transfer fee in addition to what is likely a massive contract (unless it’s Messi). so it doesn’t really matter what China does, there is no way MLS is going to mimic them just because they are throwing money at players.
Willing to bet that this turns out to be one of, if not the worst move of Arena’s career.
I doubt Bruce wanted Cole and as a non-DP he may not feel any pressure to play him if he doesn’t pan out.
This is ridiculous. An absolute MLS 2.0 move. As someone who watched quite a bit of Cole with Roma (back when he actually got on the pitch, that is), he has almost nothing left in the tank.
Even if he’s not a DP, he’ll still be eating up a significant portion of the cap. Spending that much on a fullback who’s legs are gone and who can’t defend will hurt the Galaxy next year.
people’s reaction to this transfer are so over the top. and it’s all because of what he said about MLS just over a year ago. so i get people are frustrated but get a grip and stop being so sensitive. why is everyone so sensitive when it comes to MLS and the USMNT?!
Cole was rumored to go to Man United due to injury problems but LA was already in the final stages, so it’s not like this guy is useless. he’s coming in as a non-DP, which is good. what i am waiting to hear is if (how much) TAM was used to buy down his contract. multiple reports last month said he was taking a major paycut but one report today indicated they likely spent a lot of TAM. we know they spent some TAM on the Belgian, so i’d like to get some specifics on both.
either way, it’s a non-DP signing with the attention of a DP signing. which tells you the guy isn’t a scrub. when looking at the world market, signing Ashley Cole for $300,000 a year is a steal.
Galaxy Insider confirming no TAM spent. so basically LA is throwing him $300K on a gamble. there are worse moves.
yep
anyway, he’s not my favorite player nor is this signing very inspiring to me but I see what they are thinking here. I hope it works but I certainly have my doubts
So LA has signed one player that says MLS is a retirement league, and one player that has racially abused a US international. Thanks for giving me a team I can really root against!
Bring on the hate. I am indifferent to these moves; taking a wait and see approach. It could be a disaster, but it could also be a very solid/veteran team that finally wins the ConcaChampionsLeague. As far as the other stuff, I don’t care. I’ve never been the type to get caught up on players’ personalities or their off-field stuff like other fans.
Why do I know who these people are? Because they are professional soccer players. If not I wouldn’t know who they are or care to find out.
Why do I have any interest in them? Because they play on teams that I root for.
All that matters to me is on-field performance and my team winning. These players aren’t my friends and they aren’t any of your friends either. I don’t look to these players to be role-models to me, or to any of my future children.
I think most fans probably are like me. An example is San Francisco fans during the Barry Bonds steroid era. They loved/cheered Barry Bonds even though he was a jerk and steroid-cheater. As long as he was performing and they were winning, that’s all they cared about. That’s the rational way of looking at it.
Not caring about whether they cheat or not may be rational, but i would also call it amoral. I once read that someone said that there are pro basketball coaches out there who would give a contract to an axe murderer if he was 7 feet and could shoot. A former defensive lineman for the Raiders was just sentenced to life for murdering 3 people, including using torture on one. Well, maybe they aren’t your role models, but I don’t think any sports should be using and promoting players who are pieces of sheet as human beings. Is winning so important to you you would look the other way if it included racists and felons? What are your limits?
Gary, not sure what my limits are. I’d have to think hard about it, or it have to be an issue that really irks me personally. Racism does irk me, but there are racist people everywhere, mostly closet racists that hide it while out in public. I’ve learned to deal with it and not let it bug me. But what I can tell you for sure is that Ashley Cole dissing MLS and Van Damme saying racist insults to Onyewu don’t push my limits. I have no idea if Van Damme is racist or not, all I know is he has said racist things. Yes, to me there is a difference between the two. If he is a racist, then that’s something the players and Bruce Arena will have to deal with. I can celebrate any contributions Van Damme or Ashley Cole might make to the team, without liking them or celebrating them as individuals.
Probably my favorite sports figure ever is Kobe Bryant. He is likely a jerk, a-hole, adulterer, selfish, full of himself, and has been accused of rape (even though I am sure he didn’t do it; just some chick trying to get money). I don’t care, Kobe is the best! (sporting wise)
Damnit.
Good grief I think this is the least exciting signing the Galaxy have ever made. Arena/ Klein sure like to test my faith in them, I sure hope I’m wrong about this guy.
I’m kind of interested just to see if this team can come together for a CCL run. After that summer will really be in full swing and the beaches will be calling.
If MLS wants me to stop making fun of them then they need to stop acting like the ugly girls at last call with these validation seeking moves.
I’m pretty luke-warm/not ecstatic about this, but lets not knee jerk /view every signing of an over 30 foreign player the same. This move actually kind of rings more like a move seen in a more mature league………….. in LA’s/MLS’ defense- this is not an overpaid/high$ DP signing come to save the club or league/ a heavily promoted sign A star splash kind of move. It’s likely Cole still has plenty in the tank to provide solid cover in MLS and appears he’ll be earning something representative of market value.
Who is paying his salary? Is Roma still covering part of his costs?
@SilverRey,
From what I recall reading they’re covering the majority of his salary still.
Let’s be fair. YOU and other haters will find a way to make fun of MLS no matter what news comes out. That being said, I do believe it’s embarrassing to sign this guy after what he said. Unless they used a lie-detector to absolutely establish that he changed his view of the league.
what’s the best way to show someone they were wrong? Bring them in and show them whats good..if he excels more than everything we have in MLS then he has a point, but if he “goes quietly into that good night” like Gerrald or Lampard or Pirlo (who were still playing at a high level when they left their respective clubs) then the joke/insult is on him.
We are not that great yet of a league, but like Chelsea found out against the NYRB, if you are not in form you will get hemmed up
Ha.c’mon now, that whole things has been so overblown. What if each of us on this board were to be judged indefinitely based on one uninformed flippant comment???
0% chance they or anyone else cares about you.
He’s presumably American, a fan of the sport and within the 18-45 demographic. He’s EXACTLY who MLS cares about. What on Earth are you talking about you incessant whiner?
By signing Ashley Cole, MLS panders to the lowest common denominator and essentially consider fans like yourself stupid. Perhaps they’re right, but they’re wrong in their approach.
OS – You are getting really heated about this. Ashley Cole, at non-DP money, is a brilliant signing. Dude is not at his best, but his best was absolute tops in the world at his position. He will do well in MLS, as he could do well with just about any team in the world outside of the top 50 to pick a number.
People make a big deal about what players said in the past, but that was a completely different context. If anything, he put himself under more pressure to actually perform with those comments.
“…stop acting like the ugly girls at last call “…….hahahahaha, best line of year contender. wow