Former Arsenal chief David Dein has apologised to Ashley Cole following his North London exit - 16 years after the controversial saga that saw him leave.
Cole came through the Gunners academy and was earmarked as a future captain, only to leave for rivals Chelsea following a contract dispute, amid legal proceedings following a tapping-up scandal. The England left-back was regarded as among the finest on the planet at his peak.
Jose Mourinho wanted him at Stamford Bridge and the Blues, along with Cole's agent, were fined for the actions they took to sign the player. The Englishman was also in the midst of contract talks at Highbury and took issue with the offer Arsenal put to him - something Dein regrets.
"We should never have lost him in my opinion," he told talkSPORT of Cole. "His contract came up for re-negotiation and we didn't offer him the right sort of money, meanwhile, Chelsea did.
"I got a call one day from a journalist from the News of the World at the time, and he said 'we've got a hot story off the press, your player Ashley Cole is being tapped up by Chelsea. I think you should come and see us'.
"I went down to their offices and they said 'here's a signed statement from a waiter at a restaurant where Ashley Cole is meeting Chelsea'. He was an Arsenal fan, the waiter, clearly, and he gave the story to the News of the World and broke it there and then.
"That was the end of that and it really was a great shame because Ashley was home-grown, an Arsenal boy, and I regret that we didn't do enough at the time to keep him at the club. It was also at a time where we were talking about building the stadium and finances, so tensions were raging about how we were going to finance the stadium and we were watching every penny.
"We didn't go enough to keep him, and I regret that with hindsight. Ashley, if you're listening, I'm sorry."
Cole left the Gunners before they embarked on a lengthy period without a trophy that spanned almost 10 years. Meanwhile, he went on to claim four FA Cups, another Premier League title and a Champions League in West London.
The 107-cap England international has previously opened up on his exit from the Gunners, who he claims made him the "scapegoat" which altered his perception of the club he'd spent his entire career at.
He wrote in his book: "Arsenal hung me out to dry, using me as a scapegoat to get back at Chelsea. The board 'rewarded' me with an insult and threw years of loyalty back in my face. I'll reveal the shattering truth about who fed me to the sharks. It changed my view forever on the club I regarded as family."
Cole's switch to Chelsea bought about great anger from the Arsenal fans, who named the player 'Cashley' amid suggestions he moved for financial reasons.
