UEFA Champions League contenders AS Roma added experience to their squad by signing left-back Ashley Cole on a two-year contract.

Cole, 33, did not renew his expiring deal with Chelsea FC and left the Blues after eight seasons, a spell that brought the UEFA Champions League in 2012 and the UEFA Europa League the following year. Cole also won the Premier League once and the four FA Cups after joining from city rivals Arsenal FC in 2006, having won three FA Cups and two titles with the Gunners.

Capped 107 times, Cole announced his retirement from international football in May after being omitted from the England squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He will play his domestic football out of his homeland for the first time next term after agreeing a two-year deal, with the club holding a further 12-month option.

Back in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since 2010/11, Serie A runners-up Roma have also signed midfielder Salih Uçan from Fenerbahçe SK. It is initially a two-year loan, with the Giallorossi holding an €11 buy-out option for a 20-year-old who made his senior debut for Turkey last November.