Roman Abramovic might have changed the face of English football after taking over Chelsea in 2003, but not before seemingly doing his research on club fans and rivalries. During his 19-year tenure, the Blues rose to new levels, winning five Premier League titles and the Champions League twice, as well as every other major trophy on offer.
He would eventually sell the club in notorious circumstances in 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after his assets in the UK were frozen amid his alleged ties with the Kremlin.
However, few can deny the impact of the Abramovic era, least of all it seems, Carlton Cole.
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The former striker is one of the forgotten men of Stamford Bridge, having spent five years on the club’s books between 2001 and 2006. During that time he made just 31 Chelsea appearances and spent loan spells at Wolves, Charlton, and Aston Villa.
After playing a bit part role in the title-winning 2005/06 campaign, and with Didier Drogba long established as the club’s main striker, the then 23-year-old knew his time was up if he wanted to play first team football. And he’s now revealed he was on the brink of joining Tottenham before the club owner intervened.
“After 2005/06, I knew I had to crack on somewhere else to get more games," Cole told FourFourTwo. "Spurs came in for me as Martin Jol was really fond of me. I went to Spurs’ training ground, met everyone and did my medical.”
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However, Abramovic wasn’t about to let a young player help one of his team’s London rivals. In fact, instead he wanted Cole to head to his homeland in order to play for CSKA Moscow.
“I received a call to say I had to meet him at Stamford Bridge,” explained Cole. “Over a coffee, Abramovich said he wanted me to sign for CSKA Moscow. I was like, 'I don’t think I want to go to Russia.' And then Roman said to me, through his translator, 'Well, you’re not going to Spurs. I don’t do business with them. So, get that out of your head’.”
And Cole claimed that order left him despondent. “I sulked like a teenager for weeks, even though I was 23 at the time,” he added. “I was disappointed, because I felt I could’ve made a difference in that Tottenham team."
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Instead, Cole moved to West Ham, where he’d spend nine years and make 293 appearances, scoring 68 goals. Arguably, the move paid dividends, with Cole gaining international recognition by winning seven England caps.
During that period though, Spurs would qualify for Champions League football and capture the League Cup in the 2007/08 campaign. In comparison, the Hammers would spend much of that period battling relegation, and went down to the Championship after the 2010/11 campaign before coming back up through the play offs.
