Chelsea defender Gary Cahill is weighing up his options and could leave the club bringing his six-year spell at Stamford Bridge to an end. According to recent reports, the English defender is thinking about parting ways with the Pensioners during this summer transfer period as his club inches closer towards sealing a £44.2m move for Daniele Rugani.
The 32-year-old has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and was a sporadic presence in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Some sources are now claiming that he is considering quitting the West London club in search of more first-team opportunities.
The English veteran has won six major trophies during his stay with the Blues since his switch from Bolton Wanderers for £7m in the winter transfer window of 2012.
With Cahill set to leave Stamford Bridge, let’s take a look at three replacements for the new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri to consider in this post-season.
Phil Jones
The English defender had featured in 25 matches for Manchester United but has fallen down the pecking order in the second half of last season. Jones is also quite versatile and can play in a number of different positions across the backline. He primarily plays as a centre-back but can also be deployed at right-back or as a defensive midfielder which makes him a perfect fit for the Blues. At 26, the English prospect is exactly the kind of talent who can reignite his career under the guidance of Sarri at Stamford Bridge.
James Tarkowski
The Burnley defensive ace had put in some solid displays at the back under Sean Dyche’s leadership during the course of last season. He will be the perfect replacement for Cahill and could turn out to a shrewd signing if the Pensioners can pull off such a deal. The 25-year-old had featured in 33 matches for the Clarets and was a key figure in his team’s climb to the top half of the league table in the last campaign.
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Samuel Umtiti
The 24-year-old had put in some impressive performances for Barcelona last season and was instrumental in France’s success in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The French centre-back had made 40 appearances for the Catalans last term across all competitions and had one league goal to his name. Umtiti is a ball playing defender and will be the perfect replacement for Cahill at Chelsea but it won’t be easy to prise him away from the Nou Camp.
