Roman Abramovich was a tough taskmaster during his ownership of Chelsea between 2003 and 2022 - so much so, that he blocked former Blues striker Carlton Cole from joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2006.
Having spent time away from Chelsea on loan spells at Wolves, Charlton and Aston Villa, Cole returned to Chelsea in the summer of 2005 ready for more first team opportunities at Stamford Bridge. With Didier Drogba the starting striker in Jose Mourinho's team, though, his game time was limited to just 12 matches across the 2005/06 season.
At the age of 23, Cole knew he had to move on in order to play regular first team football. Tottenham showed an interest, but Abramovich attempted to persuade him into joining CSKA Moscow in Russia. Cole wasn't sure, so the the Chelsea owner simply blocked a north London switch.
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"After 2005/06, I knew I had to crack on somewhere else to get more games," Cole exclusively tells FourFourTwo. "Spurs came in for me as Martin Jol was really fond of me. I went to Spurs’ training ground, met everyone and did my medical. Apparently I had a problem with my knee, but I think [Spurs chairman] Daniel Levy was wheeling and dealing – he told Chelsea he wanted money off the original price.
"That alerted the big boss, Roman Abramovich, and I received a call to say I had to meet him at Stamford Bridge. Over a coffee, Abramovich said he wanted me to sign for CSKA Moscow. I was like, 'I don’t think I want to go to Russia.' And then Roman said to me, through his translator, 'Well, you’re not going to Spurs. I don’t do business with them. So, get that out of your head.'
"I sulked like a teenager for weeks, even though I was 23 at the time. I was disappointed, because I felt I could’ve made a difference in that Tottenham team."
Instead, Cole ended up joining West Ham United for an undisclosed fee. He ended up staying nine seasons at the Hammers, playing close to 300 games for them in total and scoring 68 goals.
His form between 2009 and 2010 earned him seven England caps, too, so clearly the move worked out well enough for Cole.
He only ever won the Championship play-offs, however - had he joined Tottenham, he might well have been a part of the team that ended up defeating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final.
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