Sport

Cole agrees four-year contract with Chelsea

English FA Premiership England midfielder Joe Cole has agreed a new four-year contract with Chelsea.

Tue Jun 13 2006 - 01:00

English FA PremiershipEngland midfielder Joe Cole has agreed a new four-year contract with Chelsea.

A statement from the champions confirmed: "The deal was finalised while Cole was with the England team at the World Cup."

The 24-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2003 from West Ham and Jose Mourinho's appointment in 2004 initially put Cole's place under threat, with the boss insisting the player had to concentrate harder on defending. However, Cole's attacking instincts have kept him in the Chelsea team as they have claimed back-to-back Premiership titles under Mourinho.

Cole was playing in central midfield when he was signed for £6.6 million from the Hammers but has since been deployed on the left flank. Such was his success there, Cole has made the left-midfield berth his own for England under boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, with the position previously problematic.

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Chelsea have already signed midfielders Jon Obi Mikel, Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou this summer, so Cole will have competition for a place in the champions' midfield.

Former England skipper Tony Adams looks set to be appointed assistant manager and head coach at Portsmouth, joining boss Harry Redknapp's £25 million revolution.

That is the figure Redknapp has been reportedly given to turn the perennial Premiership strugglers into Uefa Cup place candidates next season after avoiding relegation in their last campaign.

Adams, former Arsenal and England captain, is seen as the charismatic personality to help attract major stars to the south-coast club.

He is said to be "excited" by the offer, which looks likely to see him replace Newcastle's new assistant manager Kevin Bond, and has "only one or two details to be sorted out".

Redknapp now has the backing of 30-year-old billionaire Alexandre "Sasha" Gaydamak, who became Pompey's co-owner by buying half of chairman Milan Mandaric's stake in January, with the £15 million investment bringing in seven new signings.

Now Gaydamak is ready to pour more of his wealth into the team. Redknapp met Gaydamak and Mandaric last week in Israel and made it clear when he signed a new three-year contract last month he does not want to fight another survival battle at the club - and still needs to strengthen his squad.