Ashley Cole recalls former Chelsea player was ‘scary’ good in his first training session, he left after two years

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Chelsea may be going through a bit of a transitional period right now as they fight to get back to the top, but they’ve got such a rich history of success in the 21st century.

Ashley Cole certainly falls into the category of Chelsea legend for his extremely successful spell at Stamford Bridge between 2006-2014.

The former Blues and England left-back starred alongside some true greats of the game during his playing career. Interestingly, he’s just given a mention to a former Chelsea player who perhaps goes a bit under the radar.

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Ashley Cole recalls Deco’s first training session at Chelsea

During an interview on The Peter Crouch podcast, Chelsea great Cole waxed lyrical about the individual ability of Deco.

Apparently, the Portuguese midfielder lit up Cobham during his first training session with the Blues back in 2008.

When discussing former Chelsea teammate Deco, Cole said: “You should have seen his first training session. He was illegal. He literally got a ripple… He was scary. Only plays with his studs. Putting it through people’s legs.”

Deco, who’s now retired and works as Barcelona’s sporting director, enjoyed a fabulous playing career.

He only spent two years at Chelsea between 2008-2010 before joining Fluminense, where he’d end up retiring. During his time in English football, the technically gifted central midfielder did win the Premier League, FA Cup (twice) and the Community Shield.

Deco didn’t quite reach the same heights of the early stages of his career, but he was a key contributor at Chelsea in the centre of the park. He rubbed shoulders in the Blues midfield alongside the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Michael Essien.

Chelsea’s current midfield

Like mentioned above, Chelsea had some real juggernauts and world-class players in their midfield during their most successful eras. It feels like the current Blues squad is well on its way to boasting a fantastic crop of central midfielders as well.

Chelsea are interested in Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, but the truth is they’re already blessed with so many great options in the centre of the park.

Blues stars Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia all belong in the conversation for some of the Premier League’s very best young midfielders. Meanwhile, don’t forget about Andrey Santos, who’s enjoying a remarkable loan spell at Strasbourg.