Joe Cole: I'll fight to stay in Chelsea team

Joe Cole today insisted he will stay at Chelsea for the rest of his career and is confident he will play a big part in Luiz Felipe Scolari's revolution at Stamford Bridge.

Cole took the opportunity to make a point to the new manager by scoring the first goal of the Scolari era in the 4-0 victory over Portsmouth yesterday. The 26-year-old England midfielder knows he faces a fight for his place this season, especially with the club expecting to sign Robinho before the end of the month.

Cole has two years left on his contract but talks over a new one have been postponed until next summer and it has been reported he is concerned over his Chelsea future.

Aston Villa and Liverpool have both been linked with Cole, but he said: "I love it here, the club wants to sign me and there won't be any problems on that front. I will be a Chelsea player for the rest of my career.

"I wanted to put negotiations to bed for now because I want to concentrate on my performances and play well because it's not nice for the fans to have an ongoing thing. Obviously, we wanted to get it sorted out this year, but with the new manager coming in and players coming in and out, there wasn't enough time."

Cole admitted he will have to play the best football of his career if he wants to stay in the side.

Chelsea strolled to an impressive victory despite being without the injured Michael Essien and Didier Drogba, while Michael Ballack limped off with an ankle problem in the first half.