Roma signs Ashley Cole to two-year contract

Ashley Cole was a free agent after his Chelsea contract expired, having been restricted to 17 Premier League appearances last season. (Bogdan Maran/AP)

ROME — Roma says veteran English defender Ashley Cole has joined the Italian capital club.

The 33-year-old left back was a free agent after his Chelsea contract expired, having been restricted to 17 Premier League appearances last season.

Roma said Monday on its website that Cole’s two-year contract has the option to extend it for a further season.

Cole, who earned 107 caps for England, retired from international football in May after being passed over for the World Cup in Brazil.

Cole won the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League and four FA Cups at Chelsea, which he joined contentiously from Arsenal in 2006.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.