Arsene Wenger Names Arsenal Legend He Regrets Selling During His Time as Gunners Boss

• Ashley Cole came through the ranks at Arsenal's youth set up before he finally made his bow for the first team aged 18
• He went on to establish himself as one of the highest-sought full-backs in Europe after he helped the Gunners win two EPL titles
• The former England international later dumped the north Londoners for a switch to Stamford Bridge
• However, Wenger believes the Gunners should have done more to stop the legendary left-back from departing the club

Arsene Wenger has conceded he made a mistake selling Ashley Cole to rivals Chelsea during his tenure as Arsenal boss.

Cole is widely acclaimed as one of the best left-backs in the history of the Premier League.

The Englishman started off his professional career with the Gunners after managing to come through the club's youth system.

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Cole established himself as one of the fastest rising full-backs in Europe after he helped Arsenal win two Premier League titles and three FA Cup trophies.

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However, the former England international is understood to have been left unhappy after Arsenal chiefs declined to grant his wishes before renewing his deal.

The misunderstanding over what Wenger described as "a few thousand pounds" paved the way for his shock transfer move to Chelsea in the summer of 2006.

It is believed Arsenal were demanding a fee of £25 million for Cole but the defender ended up leaving for £5m in a swap deal that involved William Gallas.

Arsene Wenger regrets letting Cole depart

Wenger has now opened up on Cole's dramatic exit from the Emirates, admitting the transfer was a mistake.

The Frenchman revealed a failure to agree on Cole's contract demands led to his exit, conceding the Gunners should have granted the former defender's wishes.

"The player I think we, internally, it was a mistake to lose was Ashley Cole," Wenger recently opened up.

"Ashley Cole came out of the club. I think it was a misunderstanding over a few thousand pounds. At the time, we spoke about [Roman] Abramovich when he came into the game, Ashley Cole is one of the few players who developed even more and continued to develop when he left," he added.

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Raila Odinga to watch Arsenal in action

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Raila Odinga will be among thousands of fans who will turn up at the Emirates to watch Arsenal in action against Liverpool.

The Kenyan presidential hopeful flew out of the country on Sunday evening, March 13, shortly after he was declared Azimio La Umoja's candidate.

Odinga, who is an ardent Arsenal supporter will be hoping the Gunners will secure a favourable result during the clash to increase their chances of qualifying for the Champions League.