Premier League verdict on Chelsea ‘tapping up’ today

The result will be announced on Wednesday when, subject to guilty verdicts, the punishments are likely to be heavy fines and warnings all round. Chelsea, who won the Premier League from Arsenal by 12 points this season, could be docked points ahead of next season. The Premier League might be forced to tread carefully, however, if Cole argued that their rules preventing talks with other clubs breached European employment law, particularly as the exact nature of the meeting remains vague.

Mourinho initially denied that he and Kenyon had met Cole, saying he was in Milan speaking with (Inter) striker Adriano when the meeting took place, while Cole, who is contracted to Arsenal until 2007, has never denied his presence.

After Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand “coincidentally” met Kenyon last month he returned to his club demanding a tripling of his salary. Chelsea’s spending power was further illustrated two weeks ago by the comments of Athletic Bilbao defender Asier del Horno, who was linked with a move to the London club. “If you look at the figures that are being talked about then it seems unthinkable that a team would pay that sort of money for me,” he said.