Chelsea No2 Ray Wilkins insists Joe Cole is a wanted player at Stamford Bridge.

Cole has been linked with a move to Arsenal after saying he will not sign a new contract at Stamford Bridge when his current deal expires at the end of June.

But Wilkins, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme, said: "We've obviously been in dialogue with Joe for months now and it's pretty evident that Carlo and myself would love Joe to stay but it's down now to the club to see what we can do."

He added: "We sincerely hope Joe stays with us - he's a smashing guy and he's a wonderful footballer so we'll keep our fingers crossed."