Returning Cole set for new talks
LEADERS Chelsea will be looking to speed up contract talks with Joe Cole this week after the England midfielder impressed on his return to the first-team fold at the weekend.
Cole, 27, looked back to his very best as he played a starring role in the Blues’ 5-0 victory over Blackburn at Stamford Bridge.
The ex-West Ham star’s current deal runs out at the end of the season but Cole has previously refused to enter into any contract talks until his 10-month spell on the sidelines with knee ligament damage was over.
Cole enjoyed his first league start back on Saturday and was applauded off the pitch by the Chelsea faithful as his box of tricks led Rovers on a merry dance.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti looks set to lose Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel to the African Cup of Nations in January, and with the club still banned from signing players by Fifa until 2011, securing Cole to a longer-term contract has become a major priority for the Italian.