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OLD KING COLE
Chelsea and Arsenal icon Ashley Cole in shock return to England aged 38 after pal Frank Lampard makes offer to join Derby
ASHLEY COLE is set for a sensational return to England after an offer from old pal Frank Lampard to join Derby.
Lampard, 40, is set to complete the raid for his former Chelsea and England team-mate in the next 48 hours in an eye catching swoop.
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Cole, 38, is a free agent after leaving LA Galaxy and Lampard’s offer appeals to him most despite the chance to extend his career abroad.
Lampard will push on with the move after deciding defender Max Lowe, 21, was not ready for first-team action yet.
Lowe will now head back to Aberdeen for a second loan spell and that should also go through quickly.
Cole will bring experience to a Derby squad that is going for glory in the Championship and the FA Cup after Wednesday night's win on penalties over Southampton.
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Ashley Cole career stats
Age: 38
Current teams: Free agent
Former teams: Arsenal, Chelsea, Roma, LA Galaxy
Trophies: Premier League x3, Champions League x1, Europa League x1, FA Cup x7, League Cup x1, Community Shield x3
International caps: 107
International goals: 0
Club games: 659
Club goals: 19
And he won’t break the bank with his terms, either.
Cole and Lampard won the Premier League title together in 2009/10 and in 2012 they were part of the historic Champions League triumph.
The other trophies they won in their eight-year stint as Blues team-mates were four FA Cups, one League Cup, the Community Shield and Europa League.
Derby currently occupy the final play-off spot in the Championship, with Lampard hoping his old pal can use his experience to inspire a late-season push.
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Since leaving the Blues in 2014, Cole spent two years in Roma - playing just 11 Serie A games - before heading across the Atlantic.
During two years in the USA, Cole racked up 86 appearances for LA Galaxy, alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, scoring three goals.
The 107-cap former England international was being chased by another Blues pal, John Terry, to join him at Aston Villa.
Cole has been a free agent after Galaxy offered him a deal worth just £5,000-a-week.
Most recently, the ex-Arsenal star appeared to ignore doctors' warnings as he used tobacco snus outside an LA coffee shop with his Italian model girlfriend.
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The former England defender was seen rubbing the product into his gums while Canu puffed on a cigarette.
Cole is one of a number of footballers who have turned to the snus as an alternative to smoking cigarettes.
While the star is unlikely to rake in the massive contracts of yesteryear, he will likely be earning substantially more for his swansong in England.
Cole famously crashed his car in disgust after Arsenal offered him £55,000-a-week in 2004 rather than the £60,000 he demanded - a story leading to the nickname "Cashley".
The star's career slowly began to derail in the 2010s after his divorce to Cheryl following a four-year marriage amidst claims of the footballer's adultery.
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