The England left-back was part of two championship-winning sides at former club Arsenal but has not claimed top honours since his cross-London switch in 2006.

But even though some see the Champions League as the glaring omission from Chelsea's trophy cabinet, Cole's main focus is on domestic success.

"I've not won the Premier League with Chelsea. I won it at Arsenal but we've not won it since I came here," he said.

"The guys here hate it when we lose out. For me, this is a season when hopefully we can do it. Everything here is in place to do it.

"For me, above everything, I want to win the Premier League. To go through 38 games and beat all these tough teams is the best. When you win the Premier League, you're a great team.

"It's so hard to win the league now because there's so many good teams - Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham.

"Yeah, it would definitely mean more for me to win the League with Chelsea. It would be brilliant.

"It would be huge to beat them. We've been playing well, playing with confidence and getting results."

Chelsea can put themselves firmly in the Premier League driving seat with a victory over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

A victory would send them five points clear of United and Cole knows that reigning champions will be determined to avoid falling behind by such a margin.

He added: "It will be a big battle. It will be a bit tense because we don't want to lose and they certainly don't. It's a big game for both of us."

But the 28-year-old does not think that dispatching the Red Devils will automatically install them as big favourites, being well aware of the threat posed by all top-flight sides.

"It does make it more exciting, everyone losing games. Everyone thought we were going to cruise at Wigan," Cole said.

"It's nice to see other teams getting better players and improving as squads.

"I think the Premier League is harder this season. A lot of teams have strengthened their squads. To win the Premier League you have to be a top team. It would be fantastic to do that."