The BIG Question: Is Gary Cahill The Man To Plug Chelsea’s Defence?

Chris Wright

5th, January 2012

6 Comments

By Chris Wright

As I understand it, the salient bullet points are as follows: Chelsea want to buy Gary Cahill for £7 million; Bolton want to sell Gary Cahill for £7 million, Gary Cahill wants to join Chelsea; Gary Cahill’s agent asked for £120,000-a-week wages (presumably on the basis he scores more often than Fernando Torres); Chelsea aren’t stupid.

Rather unsurprisingly considering his agent’s outrageously plucky request (there are even rumours that a £4 million signing-on fee is being chased), a deal is still a considerable distance away but it seems, by hook or by crook or by knocking about £60,000-a-week off his wage demands, Gary Cahill will be arriving at Stamford Bridge at some point this month.

From what I’ve been privy to, Cahill’s imminent signing has been greeted with a stout mix of ‘overpriced English averageness personified’ consternation and ‘exactly what Chelsea need’ pragmatism and I must admit I’m pitched somewhere in the middle, listing ever so slightly toward the latter.

Let’s talk cutter for a moment. £120,000 every seven days would put Cahill level with Ashley Cole on Abramovich’s list of weekly outgoings, behind only John Terry, Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres. Indeed, even if Cahill shakes on the measly £70,000-a-week the club are believed to have offered him, that would still see him £10,000-a-week better off than Juan Mata – arguably Chelsea’s best player this season.

As for the fee. £7 million is still a fair old wodge for a player whose contract dwindles to nothing in six month’s time – that’s the ‘English premium’ at work – but it’s my personal belief that Chelsea will just about be getting their money’s worth (if that’s actually feasible in today’s game) on this one if they can successfully haggle those frankly ridiculous wage demands down.

As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, and when the weakest link is Zat Knight you know you’re staring down the barrel of an arduous plight.

Cahill may well have a pretty underwhelming season so far in an underwhelming defensive unit in an underwhelming side, but he’s shown in the past and on sporadic occasions this campaign that he is a proven, dependable, resiliant, organised and committed centre-half – not to mention his above-average scoring record.

He’s far less ‘agricultural’ than he gets credit for.

Assuming Terry is to remain a fixture, just compare Cahill’s attributes to that to Chelsea’s incumbent mob of senior deputy centre-halves: David Luiz (an uncontrollable clown), Alex (strong as a cart horse, mobile as a cart horse) and Ivanovic (far more convincing at right-back). It looks like a bit of a no-brainer to me, especially taking into account the scrutiny that the Blues’ worryingly porous backline has come under in recent weeks.

There are few if any better – and by ‘better’, I mean ‘more suited to the English game’ – centre-halves available for that kind of money in the world right now, and lord knows that’s exactly when Chelsea need a new one. Right. Sodding. Now.

What say you folks? Will Cahill prove to be the right man at the right time for Chelsea? Or is he just more overpriced English dross on the move?

Posted in Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Featured, Opinion, Transfers & Rumours

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6 Comments

  1. Chimpo says:

    “Chelsea arent stupid”

    i question that and im a chelsea fan- cases in point- veron, shevchenko, torres.

    as for cahill- id like to think so- he’s a pragmatic player and clearly as an english player being bought by one of the ‘big 5’ or 6 or whatever it is now his fees and wages will be over the top.

    is he the next wayne bridge though?

  2. ELDV says:

    I think I agree with pies here. While he’s not the best, and may be a bit overrated, Cahill is a good centreback, and Chelsea need a good centreback. £7m is a decent price, and if they can get his wages down “he will do a job for them”

  3. CFC_Jay says:

    He wants something in the region of £120,000??!! All the Chelsea players that earn that much have much more experience at the Club (Terry, Lampard, Cole) and far more international experience too!! Ok Torres is lacking the length of service at the club, and in hindsight his form certainly doesnt warrent that much wages, but even he has over 90 caps for his country which counts towards something at least. Cahill has mustered only 7 or 8 caps for England and im not being harsh or demeaning to him as he still has plenty of time on his side to get well into the double figures, but until he proves himself at both club and international level – £70,000 a week (yes a week!) seems more than fair. Come on Gary, show us your worth it! :-)

  4. MrMac says:

    Well considering what they payed for Luiz, in a january window.

    The performance he will offer REGULARLY and CONTINUALLY, i’d say this is a bargain fixer upper.

    Either he fixes himself up and becomes terry’s partner longterm or he atleast makes sure chelsea get to the top 4 this season.

    Assuming his horrid pay scheme gets reduced, i’d say it’s a damn steal.

  5. Brendan says:

    Solid signing, nothing spectacular though. Although some consistency might be just what they need. Think they need to shore up the right back as well, maybe Gregory van der Wiel?

  6. Vinil says:

    Name an English defender who could be suitable for Chelsea. Cause lord knows we need English players. Jones, Ferdinand, Johnson, Richards, Lescott. That leaves us with Baines, Walker, Cahill and Jagielka. To short-list them. Walker won’t come. Jagielka, the more better option. But injured. That leaves us with Cahill. A good option. Better replacement for Alex.

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