Joe Cole will be at Chelsea next year

Carlo Ancelotti has come out and stated publicly that as far as he is concerned Joe Cole will be in the Chelsea squad next season.

There has been rumours everywhere about Cole leaving with the likes of Spurs being touted as a likely destination and until Cole signs a new contract those rumours will not go away.

Also reading between the lines it does appear that the sticking point is not money but Cole’s desire to play every game.

‘Joe Cole will be in the squad next year,’ Ancelotti stated.

‘The aim of the club is to keep him in the squad because he is an important player, he is a very professional player with a lot of quality and a player of the English national team.

‘For this reason we want to keep him in the squad. I cannot guarantee to Cole he will play in Chelsea every game, I cannot guarantee that to any player. I never guarantee to play every game.’

It is that last line that is intriguing and gives us an insight in to what is stalling the negotiations.

If indeed Cole is saying he wants guaranteed football and Ancelotti wont guarantee it then it is hard to see how that barrier can be overcome.

I hope for our sakes it can be.