Arsenal hope to extend England fullback Ashley Cole's contract with the club despite the heavy fine handed down to him by the Premier League yesterday for his role in the "tapping-up" affair with Chelsea.
Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said he hoped Cole would not leave the club.
"He's our player.
We'll even be trying to extend his contract."
Chelsea, their manager Jose Mourinho and Cole were all handed record fines.
The Premier League slapped Chelsea 300,000 ($784,313), telling the club they would have three points deducted if they committed a similar offence next season.
Chelsea won the title by 12 points from Arsenal.
Mourinho was fined 200,000 and Cole 100,000 after all three parties had been found guilty of breaking Premier League rules by attending a meeting at a London hotel on January 27.
The Premier League reached its decisions following an inquiry by an independent commission into allegations that Chelsea "tapped-up" Cole in an attempt to sign him.
All parties were given 14 days to appeal.
"We are almost certainly going to appeal," Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said. "We believe that attending the meeting [with Cole in January] did not go over the line ... we think that the sanctions are totally disproportionate to the alleged sin."
Cole's lawyer, Graham Shear, argued that the Premier League rules breached European employment law. "I think you can take it from me that we will be lodging that appeal."
The previous highest fine for an illegal approach was the 20,000 Liverpool had to pay after speaking to Christian Ziege when he was at Middlesbrough in 2000.
The German defender was also fined 10,000.
The Premier League said Chelsea were in breach of a rule prohibiting clubs making an approach to a contracted player without first obtaining the permission of his club.
Cole was found guilty of approaching another club with a view to negotiating a contract without obtaining the prior written consent of his club.
Mourinho was found to be in breach of a rule governing managers' conduct.
A Premier League spokesman said: "We intend that other players who may be tempted to act in a similar fashion will be deterred from such behaviour."
- REUTERS
