LONDON -- When England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was accused of holding contract negotiations with Chelsea behind the backs of his employers, the Football Association, he claimed he was not having talks with the club, he was merely listening.

Christopher Davies

Similarly, when Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon and manager Jose Mourinho met Arsenal fullback Ashley Cole in a central London hotel on Jan 27, it did not, in their view, constitute an illegal approach or a breach of Premier League rules.