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Reports: Galaxy negotiating to bring over Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole AS Roma 10

The player who said in 2014 that he was not ready to join MLS because he was “not ready to relax on a beach” could soon be playing near the beaches of Southern California.

Multiple reports have stated that the LA Galaxy are negotiating a deal with veteran English fullback Ashley Cole. The Irish Sun first reported the news, and ESPNFC.com corroborated with a separate story that cited a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

Cole, who just turned 35, is currently on the books at AS Roma, but has not played this season because of a contract dispute. English Premier League outfit Aston Villa is said to be interested in signing Cole, but the Galaxy are in talks to bolster their back line with him after creating more cap room via Tuesday’s sale of Omar Gonzalez to Pachuca.

If Cole was to sign with MLS, the move would mark an interesting twist to his career. The former England international has been linked with the league since 2014, but infamously said back then that he was not ready to head stateside.

“I had offers from the USA, but I’m not ready to relax on a beach yet,” Cole told reporters shortly after signing with Roma in July 2014. “I’ve won a lot in my career already, but I don’t want to stop.”

A player who represented England 107 times, Cole has not seen much time since leaving Chelsea for Roma. He made 11 Serie A appearances last season, all of which were starts, but has not seen the field at all this campaign.

What do you think about the Galaxy being in negotiations with Cole? Would it be a good move for them to bring him on board to bolster the defense? Against him playing for the club and in MLS given his 2014 remarks?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The only thing that fills the stands in Los Angeles is name recognition… Bringing in unknowns regardless of talent is not enough to get people in seats.

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  2. Forget age concerns – the guy is on the highest salary at Roma and is permanently benched for his poor attitude and refusals to train. But maybe he’ll become humble and hanker down again once Los Angeles finally pays him what he deserves!

    You’d sell more jerseys signing Kobe and he’d probably even hustle off the ball.

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  3. Ashley Cole??? not interested

    not psyched on the Galaxy dumping Marcelo for Rodgers, not psyched on Cole and his rest on the beach BS either

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  4. hehl mother elfin no. our roster is so old, i get bruce is a master at extending the life of this dinosaurs he shall be know as the master tinker. However we lost the cup last year because of that reason. juninho needs to go, he doesn’t track back, he passed the ball back way too much. Rodgers needs to go, he’s more inconsistent rain in california. lets use that money and bring more talented players.

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  5. Is this going to take away designated pitcher totally alcoholic money from the rumored offseason signing of Methusala ?
    .
    #bushleaguemls is such a joke

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  6. Defenders don’t sell tickets so it seems like a bad investment to me. If he does somehow manage to come, every forward in the league will run at him every chance they get for the beach statement.

    I am amazed though that all these big names seem to end up on LA and they still can’t buy a winner. Kind of what the league tried to do with the Red Bulls years ago. I just dont understand how LA can afford all these players or if the league is paying, why do they get all name players when so many other teams have none?

    Reply
      • How or why wouldn’t they? The Galaxy have been in the league from the start. Have the most extensive academy and the largest demographic to pull from for homegrown players. Plus, the league has always hedged on any financial benefit for the Galaxy. Too many positives point to the invisible hand of the Galaxy being to big to not succeed.
        However, this team has been built to attack and not defend. Just lost their best defender, who was not that dominate at his position. The league is getting better and good teams with front offices are building systems around team concepts.

  7. As an MLS fan, I hope this does not happen! Anyone who ever said what he said about the league should be blacklisted forever. I am shocked that Galaxy would want to bring him. I thought that the only team stupid enough for this would be NYCFC. That’s the only team I wouldn’t mind seeing screwing themselves

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  8. No, thanks. Cole doesn’t have anything left in the tank, and I don’t want anyone playing in MLS who is going to treat it as a vacation, or at least alludes that that’s what they think about the league.

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  9. Yeah, we (MLS) doesn’t need him…he’s already on the record with disparaging comments about the quality of the league, and he’s not really a likable guy from all the press I’ve seen over the years…maybe if he was 10 years younger and an “up and comer” in England you can take a chance on him, but everything I’ve seen/heard make me think he can just retire instead of relaxing on a beach with a cushy contact.

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  10. Not a fan of Garber’s system of bringing in old Ashley Cole’s to replace younger US National team players like Omar Gonzalez. While I understand it’s not like for like, the entire concept is troubling.

    Garber is more interesed in Barnum and Bailey than being a good league, apparently.

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    • Why do you put this on Garber? The teams are the ones signing (or looking at) older players (see NYCFC and the Galaxy). Garber is a mouth piece for the owners.

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      • No, old school, I’ve been following MLS closely since ’95, before they had even come up with team names. Back then, the league was selecting players for teams. That’s not the case anymore. Teams are now the ones picking the players they want. Garber is not the one telling the Galaxy to go after someone like Cole. If MLS signs Cole, it’s because one or more teams want him.

  11. Does Ashley Cole even move the needle much? Probably brings more negative press to the league then positive at this point. I mean if he wants to come for $200,000 or less just to play in LA then maybe. However I don’t see him being worth any more, to LA or the league..

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  12. This seems like a pretty terrible signing. In his day, Cole was arguably the best left-back in the world (close anyway) but that day was a long time ago. Apparently, he’s ready to come relax on a beach.

    It’s one thing to sign older DPs like Gerrard or Pirlo who will at least put butts in seats even if their performances aren’t great. It’s debatable but I can at least understand it. How many people are going to watch LAG just because of Ashley Cole though? Not many.

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    • Maybe the Galaxy can put rocking chairs by the bench for Gerrard and Cole. The Galaxy is getting ridiculous with the signing of old, former big name stars. I wonder how they will pull this off since they already have 3 DP’s and didn’t seem to be able to accommodate OG with TAM after last season. Are they going to get the league to change the rules again?

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  13. Hopefully, they make him talk to Gerrard before he comes over so he realizes life isn’t a beach in MLS.

    Better yet, they should also make him read the comments section of articles about Gerrard so he can see that Galaxy supporters don’t care who you are if you don’t perform on the pitch.

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    • Not really, both Robbie Rogers and Ashley Cole have played both sides. I see him more as a replacement for Dan Gargan, who, while adequate at the fullback position, has had a spate of injuries. If the Cole move happens, the Galaxy should be also looking for a good veteran center back. De la Garza, who was paired with Gonzales since college would line up next to Leonardo, who has improved a lot, but is not a good replacement for OG. While Romney is the future, along with Steres, they both will need more experience.

      I remember when the on-loan Landon Donovan would run circles around Cole when Everton played Chelsea.

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      • Regarding Cole and Donovan, I remember a game where they both went for a ball at the same time and Cole ended up with a broken leg on a clean play. On the other hand, during the US vs. England in the 2010 WC, Donovan was pretty invisible and I think Cole had a lot to do with that.

      • Gary Page,

        People tend to overhype LD’s ability ove a 2 month loan period. He was good, and played well against Chelsea for 1 game. However, doing it with consistency during the course of a long season is a completely different story. I have been following the EPL/1st division since I was a child in the late 80’s. It is filled with guys who had great months or 1 or 2 great game then fell back to their mean. In American sports parlance, think baseball and the September wonders or 1 month wonders etc.

        As a side note, I do think LD was very talented, but Cole (who I cannot stand) made him disappear later on when they met again.

      • people tend to low ball LD’s ability when he was oat Evertone

        here’s what the Everton captain Phil Neville said about LD.

        ‘He’s the ultimate professional, he’s got great quality, and the Everton fans love him.
        ‘He’s a hero at Goodison Park, and he’s played less than 20 games for us. I’ve played with some world-class right-sided players in my time, and he’s up there with them.’

        Happy Holidays!

        Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2163717/Phil-Neville-badgers-Landon-Donovan-joining-Everton-tried-kidnap-American-ace.html#ixzz3vFzmd54O
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