Freddie Ljungberg says player Arsene Wenger sold for £5m at Arsenal was simply ‘the best’

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Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg has named Ashley Cole as the best full-back he ever came up against.

The Swede shared the dressing room with Cole for plenty of years at Arsenal and faced him in training almost every day. Then, he played against him after the full-back joined Chelsea, and it was never easy.

Freddie Ljungberg says Ashley Cole was ‘the best’ full-back he played against

Ashley Cole came through the ranks at Arsenal and made his debut in 1999.

The Englishman won two Premier League titles, three FA Cups and four Community Shields during his time as a Gunner, and he was just incredible.

Then, in the summer of 2006, Chelsea agreed a £5 million deal with Arsenal to sign Cole in a transfer that saw William Gallas move in the opposite direction (BBC).

Cole won everything at Stamford Bridge and is regarded by many as the best left-back the Premier League has ever seen.

Freddie Ljungberg, who was a phenomenal winger at the time, played against Cole in training and in competitive games, and he has named the full-back the toughest player he has ever played against.

Speaking on Fozcast, the Swede said: “I would say Ashley Cole is the best all-round. Ashley’s feet was so quick, movement…

“We actually spoke not long ago and I said” ‘I actually have only one weakness on you – nutmeg. I could take you one way, try to chop in a nutmeg. Otherwise, you were so good one against one’.

“Obviously, Ashley was very, very good.”

Arsene Wenger’s biggest regret

Arsene Wenger signed and sold dozens of players during his 22 years as Arsenal manager.

The legendary Frenchman saw everything when he was at the helm in North London, but when he was asked to name the biggest regret of his career, he quickly pointed to the time he had to sell Ashley Cole to Chelsea.

Wenger said last year: “Of the players who left Arsenal who had a very big career after leaving Arsenal, I would say Ashley Cole. He was the only one who moved on and improved his career. It was a regret of my life.

“We recently had a meeting with the Invincibles, and he was in the meeting. I was glad he was in the meeting because he had a bad feeling and I had regrets that he left the club at the time.”