Gary Cahill can be termed as one of the best bargain signings Chelsea have ever made. The Blues are notorious for splashing the cash but they signed the English defender from Bolton Wanderers for £7m in 2012. And after over 280 appearances for the Blues, one can say that he has been a stalwart at the back for them in that period.
However, his time seems to be coming to an end as he recently announced his retirement from international commitments for England. The Englishman is yet to feature in any of the matchday squads in the Premier League and it seems that Maurizio Sarri prefers the likes of David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen over him.
The Italian manager had earlier said,”In this moment, for a defender, it’s more difficult to play in my team after only 20 days of training,’ he said. ‘It’s easier I think for offensive players, but for defensive players, it’s more difficult. In this moment he [Cahill] needs to have much more defensive training.’
It is clear that the manager wants him to adapt to his new philosophy and tactics before starting him in the first eleven but not featuring him even in the matchday squad suggests that the manager does not rate him highly at the moment. We do not know how to read tea leaves but this seems like an obvious conclusion.
There were rumours of him going to Galatasaray but the move didn’t materialise. Last season under Conte, he made 43 appearances in all competitions but he was also one of the major reasons why Chelsea struggled at the back and as a result, failed to make it to the top four. The defender is definitely living on borrowed time at present.
However, Chelsea can still go on to use his services as they have to go through the vigours of Europa League and an experienced man like him would definitely come in handy. The Blues do run the risk of losing him for free by next year as his contract is in it’s last year but anyhoo he wouldn’t have fetched top money at the age of 32.
More than the money he would have fetched, he can contribute off the field as he is known as a leader having captained England and the Blues on various occasions. Young defenders like Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have shown impressive signs while defending but someone like Cahill can guide them and make them realise what playing for a club of Chelsea’s stature means. Also, with the way David Luiz has been performing, Cahill might get his opportunity soon. We believe it’s Luiz’s ball playing abilities that has made Sarri prefer the Brazilian over the Englishman.
His achievements should not be easily forgotten. His list of accolades includes one Champions League, one Europa League, 2 Premier Leagues, 2 FA Cups and one League Cup. He has been left out of the matchday squad so far, but we saw him ahead of the clash against Arsenal giving advice to his other team-mates and one can expect him to do that throughout the season as long as he is not playing. Maybe the Englishman would be happy taking on a ‘Mertesacker’ role but given how competitive Cahill is, we would bet against it.
