SOCCER: Arsene Wenger said yesterday he would not want Chelsea to have points deducted even if they have made an illegal approach for his left-back Ashley Cole.
Chelsea representatives, including their manager Jose Mourinho, are alleged to have met Cole at a London hotel to discuss a transfer and the club could be docked points after a fresh eyewitness account of the meeting appeared in newspapers yesterday.
That would alter the picture at the top of the Premiership, where Arsenal trail Chelsea by a seemingly insurmountable 13 points, but Wenger would not favour that.
"I want to win the championship on the pitch and not to deduct points in an artificial way," the Arsenal manager said. "But I don't make the rules. It's only the FA or Premier League who can decide that, but that's not my target or my purpose."
Docking points would be one of the punishments open to a Premier League commission if Arsenal make a formal complaint about Chelsea's behaviour and the league leaders are found guilty of making an illegal approach for Cole. Wenger said he and the Arsenal board had not yet decided whether to take the matter further, and the Frenchman was non-committal about what sanction he regarded as appropriate if Chelsea have "tapped up" the defender.
Chelsea have refused to confirm or deny the allegations but Mourinho, who has said he has never met Cole, yesterday invited Wenger to call him to discuss the matter.
Wenger believes the affair has not done his team any favours. He said it was important "to get Ashley concentrated on our next game and not on this whole story" and admitted that Cole's focus could be affected. "I just feel this whole story didn't help us," the manager added.
Mourinho's admiration for Cole was plain yesterday when he called him "one of the best left-backs in the world". He confirmed he wants to buy a left-back next summer but Wenger was calm about Mourinho's comments: "If I say tomorrow (Frank) Lampard is the best English midfielder I don't expect him to be angry." Wenger dismissed suggestions that secret meetings with players are widespread.
"You are always offered players by agents," he said. "You meet an agent and he offers you 50 players in half an hour, so I cannot say I have never talked with an agent about a player who is under contract. But I don't think that is illegal."
Had he ever met a player under contract at another club? "Not without the permission of the club."
Wenger said Arsenal's defensive problems have cost them dear in the league. "That makes a difference because going forward I feel we have played better football than last (season)," he said.
Chelsea have been charged along with Blackburn with failing to control their players after an incident during the 1-0 victory at Ewood Park on Wednesday.
