Joe Cole a 'lifer' as Grant plans spending spree

He said: "If I was to finish my career at Chelsea, I'd be delighted. I have played well this season and it will be my best for the club if we win something.

"But the next five to six years will see the best of me. Hopefully, I will play for a long time because I am not someone who relies on pace. I'm someone who always puts his heart and soul into every game I play. I'd hate to ever fall out with the supporters or for anything to go wrong.

"I have a great relationship with the fans and it is great to be playing under a manager who really believes in me."

Cole's excellent form this season means he is certain to survive an anticipated Stamford Bridge cull when the transfer window opens - unlike up to 10 team-mates.

Tal Ben Haim is almost certain to be put up for sale following his outburst against Grant today while Andriy Shevchenko, Claudio Pizarro and Steve Sidwell are all prime candidates for the exit door.

There are further question marks over more established players such as Florent Malouda, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Carlo Cudicini and Juliano Belletti while star names Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Wayne Bridge are unsettled. Grant is already planning for new recruits next season and he has promised the club will spend heavily on signings in the summer.

He said: "We know the vision of the club and money won't be a problem if we find two players to bring to Chelsea. But we don't have the advantages of two to three years ago because Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool will also have a lot of money to spend on new players.

"We are waiting until the end of the season and then we will discuss which players are leaving.

"We need to think about how things will look in the future and not in the past."

Grant's own position has been brought into question by some supporters following the 1-1 draw with Wigan on Monday and former midfielder Pat Nevin, who writes for the club's official web-site, has even said he expects Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard to replace him next season. But Grant today defended his record, claiming he has over-achieved this season despite the fact the club are now five points behind Manchester United in the title race with only four games left to play.

He said: "From day one we haven't had a realistic chance because there were teams with more points than us.

"I think we did a great job up until now. Most of the fans respect what we did for them and the team have done many good things. People need to respect what we did this year - imagine what would have happened last year if as many players had injuries as us. We are as disappointed as the fans, but most of the time we did a good job."

Chelsea play at Everton tomorrow night and have the chance to close the gap on United, but are not expected to have Drogba and Lampard in their ranks.

Striker Drogba didn't train yesterday due to his knee problem and midfielder Lampard has been given special dispensation to be with his sick mother.

Meanwhile, the club's row with Sky television escalated today when the broadcaster was not allowed to ask any questions in the press conference. Chelsea are angry with Sky over the decision to switch their trip to Goodison Park from a Saturday to a Thursday to suit television.