Chelsea winger Joe Cole wants to be Blue for life
Thursday, 17 Apr 2008 14:21
Joe Cole has been on superb form for Chelsea in recent weeks
Winger Joe Cole has claimed he would like to play for
Chelsea for the rest of his career if the club are willing to keep him.
The in-form star, who signed for the Stamford Bridge outfit from
West Ham United for a fee of £6.6 million in 2003, is still only 26 and approaching the peak of his professional career.
However, he has expressed his desire to stay at the club until he retires as he says he is enjoying life in west London.
"If I was to finish my career at Chelsea, I'd be delighted," he said.
"I have played well this season and it will be my best for the club if we win something."
The Blues' hopes of regaining the Premier League title they won in 2005 and 2006 have all but evaporated this week after their disappointing 1-1 draw at home to
Wigan Athletic on Monday night.
It was Cole's introduction as a half-time substitute that sparked Chelsea into life in that game, after a drab first period ended goalless.
The England international injected pace into the home side, who took the lead through Michael Essien's 20-yard strike but surrendered their advantage in injury time when Emile Heskey converted Jason Koumas' cross.
Despite being in excellent form at the moment, Cole claims he can still improve as a player and he hopes to continue his progression at Chelsea.
"The next five to six years will see the best of me," he stated.
"Hopefully, I will play for a long time because I am not someone who relies on pace.
"I am someone who always puts his heart and soul into every game. I have a great relationship with the fans and it is great to be playing under a manager who really believes in me."
He continued: "I think we have to set our sights high. The way the club is at the moment, anything is possible and we shouldn't just be looking to win a league title here and a league title there and maybe one Champions League.
"With the players we have, we should be looking to win the Champions League on a regular basis and many championships."