Ashley Cole, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea football club have all been reprimanded by the Premier League for their role in the ‘tapping up’ saga.

Chelsea were found guilty on Wednesday of 'tapping-up' Arsenal defender Cole and were handed a suspended three-point deduction as well as a £300,000 fine.

Cole was also found guilty in the probe and was handed a £100,000 fine while Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will have to pay a £200,000 fine for his part in the infamous January meeting in a London hotel.

Ashley Cole’s lawyer said his client would appeal the decision describing the decision as “entirely unsatisfactory”.

Despite Cole’s role in the affair Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said he hoped the England full-back would put the whole incident behind him and concentrate on his career as a Gunners player.

Cole was found to have breached Premier League rule K5, which prohibited him from approaching Chelsea with a view to negotiating a transfer, without permission from Arsenal.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have said their relationship with Arsenal would be hard to rebuild following the probe.

Chairman Bruce Buck said that although anything was possible, “when you look at it, Arsenal had an agenda”.

“None of the scenarios I'm thinking about are positive when it comes to Chelsea and Arsenal, but we can try,” he said.

(MB)