‘I got shafted’ – Ashley Cole opens up on ‘bitter’ Arsenal exit after being left betrayed by boyhood club

Ashley Cole has opened up about the painful circumstances surrounding his controversial departure from Arsenal in 2006.

The former England left-back has revealed that he was left feeling betrayed by the club he once called home.

The former England left-back, now 44, says the fallout stemmed from Arsenal breaking a financial promise they made to him.

Speaking on That Peter Crouch Podcast, Cole explained, "My situation was I knew what I was worth. If you don't want to pay it, no problem. But we did agree to pay it.

"Everything was agreed, and then they pulled the rug [from] under me. They broke their promise—I couldn't tell you why."

The rift ultimately led to a £5million transfer to Chelsea, with William Gallas heading the other way.

In his autobiography, Cole famously described 'trembling with anger' and almost driving his car off the road when hearing Arsenal’s offer of £55,000 per week — an amount Chelsea were reportedly happy to double.

Although the saga painted him as the villain, with Arsenal fans branding him "Cashley" and waving fake £20 notes in protest, Cole insists he was the true casualty of the situation.

Cole admitted it was 'hard to leave'. "People [don't] understand the pressure that I was under to leave or to stay.

"Ultimately I felt disrespected, this is my point of view, I felt disrespected. It is what it is, but sometimes when I speak to fans [and they say], 'You left, you hurt me', I'm like, 'Hold up'.

"People don't realise that I was the one who got hurt the most. That was my boyhood club, I'd been living the dream. But I got shafted."

Cole’s move to Chelsea followed a long courtship that included a covert meeting with Blues manager Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon in 2005.

The discreet 'tapping-up' meeting, held without Arsenal's knowledge, led to hefty fines for all parties involved, including a £100,000 penalty for Cole (later reduced to £75,000 on appeal).

The backlash from Arsenal supporters was fierce, given Cole’s deep ties to the club as an academy graduate and potential future captain.

However, Cole says his decision to leave wasn’t driven by greed but by Arsenal’s failure to deliver on their promises. "It wasn’t that I felt I wasn’t getting looked after because I was a young player," he said.

"I didn’t ask for [Thierry] Henry’s or [Patrick] Vieira’s wages. I just knew what I was worth."

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown recently acknowledged that academy graduates like Cole were often treated differently from players brought in by Arsène Wenger, particularly in terms of salary.

Cole echoed these sentiments, expressing frustration over being left to navigate the fallout alone.

"I look back and I was bitter," he admitted. "In my head, I was going, 'You put me through some s***'. And they just went like, 'Ash, you deal with it'."

Even years later, Cole remains disappointed by how the saga unfolded, though he holds no grudge against the fans. "I understand their frustration," he said. "They didn’t know the full facts, they didn't know the truth".

Despite the controversy, Cole’s move to Chelsea proved to be a turning point in his career.

Over eight years at Stamford Bridge, he became one of the best left-backs of his generation, amassing over 330 appearances and winning eight major trophies, including the Premier League, Champions League, and four FA Cups.

During his time at Arsenal, he won two Premier Leagues and three FA Cups.