By Ian Hughes

Cole fears for Gunners future Feature: Chelsea not sole villain

Chelsea's antics in their moves for Ashley Cole and Tottenham's Frank Arnesen have left football in a state of confusion.

Opinion is divided as to what a club, or a player, can and should be able to do legally - and what are the ramifications?

BBC Sport looks at what may happen to Chelsea, Cole, Arnesen and the overseers of a changing climate, the Premier League.

The whole sorry tapping-up saga has resembled a spaghetti western - with a good footballer involved in a deal gone bad, while everyone has ending up looking ugly.

Arsenal will pay for trying to save a fistful of dollars as Cole has revealed his intention to leave town, while Chelsea have ridden off into the distance.

Cole, who many believe is the best left-back in the world, said: "I wouldn't sign for another Premiership team because I can't imagine playing against Arsenal.

"I would only want to play abroad. If necessary I will let my contract run down."

Real Madrid and Barcelona are thought to be favourites to prevent Cole going stale at Highbury and a summer switch to one of the Spanish giants looks likely.

Arsenal and Cole are the big losers in this episode.

Cole is "heartbroken" and on the verge of making an acrimonious exit from the club he loves, while the Gunners will struggle to replace such a world-class player.

Mega-rich Chelsea, meanwhile, will hardly flinch at their �300,000 fine for making an illegal approach to Cole and will swagger back to their transfer-strategy drawing board.

The dust has not even settled and Chelsea have again, according to Tottenham, been up to their old tricks.

Chelsea seem determined not to leave north London empty-handed and they have identified Spurs' sporting director, Frank Arnesen, as a gold nugget to take back to the Bridge.

Once more the Blues have been accused of trying to take without asking - this time breaking Premier League rule U10.

Tottenham have claimed "Frank was approached prior to the club having had any chance to refuse permission".

Their response has been to suspend Arnesen, who has already made clear his desire to join the newly-crowned Premiership champions.

As before, the 'innocent party' is the one whose future hangs most delicately in the balance.

Under Arnesen and coach Martin Jol, Tottenham's fortunes have been revived and the under-achieving club are showing signs of waking from their slumber.

The 48-year-old Dane has had a major impact and influence at White Hart Lane.

From his extensive contacts to his unfussy yet determined approach and his ability to uncover raw talent, Arnesen's resources have enriched Spurs - his absence will make them poorer.

Chelsea's recent behaviour has left a bitter taste in the mouths of many in the Premiership.

Their perceived arrogance, ruthlessness and lack of respect has won them few friends and has certainly created an enemy or two in the heart of the capital.

Perhaps their move for Arnesen, by all accounts a man who gets on with everyone, is a tactical manoeuvre designed to improve relations with their rivals.

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon's robust style in transfer dealings has not been well-received.

Should his involvement in player deals come to an end, with Arnesen employed in his place, Chelsea may be able to begin to repair their reputation.

Although, it is unlikely that Spurs would find forgiveness easy if Arnesen came back to tempt their best players to join him at Chelsea.

Kenyon has stated that the intention is to make Chelsea less reliant on billionaire owner Roman Abramovich's pockets and to become self-financing by 2008.

It is an admission that no club can continue to buy the world's best talent.

Money talks but even Chelsea must realise that they have to do the talking with permission - and before they offer the money.

What happens if Chelsea are found guilty of approaching Arnesen without Tottenham's consent?

The champions already have a suspended punishment of a three-point deduction for tapping up Cole.

But that would be activated only if the same rule - K3, relating to players - was breached next season.

If Chelsea are found guilty in the case of Arnesen, how will the Premier League react to what would be seen by some as disregard for the organisation's authority?

It has been suggested that Chelsea could be made to start their defence of the title next season with a negative points total.

However, others believe that Chelsea have simply sounded out Arnesen and offered him a job. No harm done.

The Premier League could soon be facing a difficult decision.

It seems to be common knowledge that tapping-up has been prevalent in football for years.

Suddenly, though, it is no longer acceptable or tolerated or hidden away as Arsenal - and now Tottenham - have made their displeasure public.

The fall-out could be huge, with clubs unlikely to be self-regulating in their transfer dealings.

After all, it's a competitive business where winning is everything.

Rules must be enforced, or modified, by the Premier League to account for a new environment.