Ashley Cole may have been voted the "most hated man in the UK" in a onepoll.com survey and his off-field indiscretions leave a lot to be desired.
Putting aside his shattered marriage to his pop star wife Cheryl - and if his sojourn at Chelsea turns sour - one thing the England and Chelsea soccer star can be sure of is the fact that he could be the most wanted man in Europe.

Cole does not lack admirers from some of the top clubs in Europe. The rampaging defender with explosive pace is regarded by many as one of the best left-backs in the world.

If the under-siege Cole is feeling the heat at Stamford Bridge for his much-publicized sexual exploits, he could well decide to make himself available to Europe's major clubs such as Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid if things don't pan out well at the London club.

Already there are rumours that Spanish giants Real Madrid fancy their chances of landing Cole. That is if they also land Inter Milan's Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho who regards the Chelsea defender highly and who had tried to entice him to San Siro once.

Willing to pay Chelsea £25 million

It is reported that Real and arch-rivals Barcelona would be willing to pay Chelsea £25 million to get his services.

Sleaze-hit Chelsea are reportedly planning to impose a £200,000 - two weeks wages - fine on Cole as an example that players have to be aware of their responsibilities and not bring disrepute to the club.

It has been one scandal too many for the London club if one is also reminded of the John Terry affair. It's known that the Blues' Russian owner Roman Abramovich would not tolerate anymore of the off-field shenanigans and he's ready to impose severe disciplinary action.

When push comes to shove, there's a likelihood that Cole will move from Stamford Bridge to wherever the offer is palatable. In 2006, he fell out with the Arsenal hierarchy and left for Chelsea when he felt he was undervalued by the Gunners.

On the field this season, Cole has been on his rampaging best for the Blues, showing his experience and maturity. He has been an England international for nine years and is still coach Fabio Capello's first choice at left-back.

At the height of his footballing career

At 29, Cole is probably at the height of his footballing career in his role as a defender with an instinctive attacking flair. Chelsea's Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti knows the value of Cole who has taken his footballing abilities to the next level. Cole could easily walk into any team.

Would it be a surprise if top European clubs are watching the goings-on at the Bridge and taking note of who's the first to blink if it comes to a standoff between Cole and Abramovich?

Unlike Manchester United or Arsenal where Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger respectively hold sway over management of their teams, the player-power culture at Stamford Bridge has been allowed to manifest itself since Jose Mourinho took charge and empowered John Terry and Frank Lampard as senior players in the dressing room.

A testament to the downside of this culture within the dressing room can be seen by the quick turnover of managers following the departure of Mourinho to Inter Milan. Subsequent managers, Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari, didn't stay long when silverware were not forthcoming.

After the sacking of the Brazilian coach Scolari, it was reported that a delegation of senior players met the Russian billionaire to voice their complain about Scolari's training methods.

Inter Milan-Chelsea faceoff

Interestingly, Chelsea will be playing Inter Milan tonight (Wednesday, Feb 24) in their Champions League last 16 1st-leg match. But Cole will be missing out on the action.

It will also be a fascinating faceoff between the soft-spoken Ancelotti and the brash Jose Mourinho, the ex-Chelsea boss.

The rival managers had shared the San Siro venue as the bosses of AC Milan and Inter. Mourinho was a target of Ancelotti who took a number of swipes at the Portuguese in the autobiography he published last year, referring to the self-anointed "Special One" as ‘His Speciality’.

Both should know each other's team inside out and already the war of words has started as they prepare for battle in San Siro tonight.

It will be finito for Mourinho if Inter lose, but it will open the way for him to move on to Madrid and renew his relationship with Cole if it comes to that.

As it is now, the "Special One" has made himself the most unpopular man in Italian football and Ancelotti will be plotting to send Mourinho on his way to sunny Spain. Arriverderci then!

Related story:
Coach Capello warns errant players