Better the devil you know in this case I think. Why risk taking a chance on Abidal when we know that Cole is excellent. Jose has said that he would use Cole as a winger as well as a left back so he could cover 2 positions if needed. That makes perfect sense to me and that way, Bridge will not feel that his place is under threat.
Like it or not, one way or the other Cole is coming to Chelsea. From the moment he pulls on that blue shirt, he is a Chelsea boy and should be given the support and encouragement that entails. Whatever your opinions are of the guy, misguided or not, he will bleed for the team when needed. His commitment is not in question. He cannot fail to be an asset to our team. There's nothing we can do about it anyway, Kenyon and Jose have made their minds up so thats that. I think the move will be positive and I have yet to hear a good argument as to why Cole should not come to Chelsea.
If we were that fussy about a players personality, we would have got rid of Dennis Wise in his first season because he is a nasty little bastard, on and OFF the pitch. This is not about personality, this is about what a player can give to us on the pitch and with Cole, his skills and commitment are not in question.