Ashley Cole 'set' for shock first management job

Former Chelsea, Arsenal and England star Ashley Cole is reportedly set to embark on his first managerial role.

Cole, 45, is one of the finest left-backs in modern football history, having played for the likes of Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Roma, LA Galaxy and Derby County.

In total, the Englishman made 702 appearances, scoring 21 goals.

He also lifted three Premier Leagues, seven FA Cup and one Champions League among other trophies.

On the international stage, Cole was capped 107 times by the Three Lions.

After retiring from playing, Cole went into coaching and had spells at Derby, England U21s, Everton and Birmingham City.

Cole also acted as assistant manager during Lee Carsley's interim spell in charge of the Three Lions

Now, it has been claimed that Cole is set to take his first managerial job.

Ashley Cole is set to become a manager. Image: Getty

As reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Cole is set to become the manager of Serie B side Cesena FC.

Cesena recently sacked Michele Mignani, with the team currently sitting in eighth spot in the Serie B table. They are one point off seventh-placed Juve Stabia.

Since their last victory, a 2-0 win over Pescara on February 6, Cesena have lost to the likes of Virtus Entella, Venezia, Spezia U19 and Monza.

They have also drawn against teams like Empoli, Modena and Frosinone.

Cesena will be back in Serie B action next week when they take on Mantova at the Municipal Stadium/Danilo Martelli on Tuesday night.

Speaking back in December 2025, Cole stated that his coaching joruney has made him a better person.

He said: "I had a long, good career and it was, you know a few things. Giving back to football, that gave me a lot. Trying to help and develop people and create the new Ashley Cole, Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira.

"You start to learn people. You know, is he mad? Is he angry? Is he sad? Is he super happy? Through coaching, that's given me that ability to read people a bit. Which I think in the long run is going to make people better. So, I definitely learnt how to be a better person through my coaching journey."