THE GARY CAHILL SAGA IS COMPLETE.
Done.
Finished.
Thank god.
Some Gary Cahill highlights.
Many people (myself included) were honestly expecting the transfer to go through pretty much a few hours after the ball dropped on New Year's Eve/January transfer window.
But then it didn't.
And we were waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Finally, we heard the news that Cahill wanted to be paid Ashley Cole's wages (£100,000 p/w) and Chelsea were only willing to pay him Alex's wages (£50,000 p/w). And it started to get a bit stressful, because while the two sides were quarreling over salaries, Tottenham and Liverpool were quietly sneaking up behind Chelsea, hoping to somehow hijack the deal. In the end though, it was Chelsea who emerged victorious (or did they?), managing to agree to an £80,000 p/w/ wage deal for five years, while offering £7 million to Bolton as a transfer fee. Personally, I think £100,000 was definitely too steep. £80,000 is slightly better, although I would definitely have been more comfortable with somewhere in the ballpark of £65,000 p/w. Although, I also believe that Chelsea are in a pretty dire defensive situation, and I think Cahill realized that they would be willing to pay quite a large sum to patch up their aging defensive line. My guess is that he never realistically expected to be paid £100,000 p/w at all, but rather he was attempting to see how much money Chelsea was willing to pay. That's just my opinion though, and I'd say that it's actually a pretty smart move, if that's what he was aiming for.
Thoughts? Was it too much money, or a good signing? Let me know in the "comments" section.
Thank god that's over.
Anyway, I'll give you a few stats now. He's 26, a central defender, and has teamed up multiple times with John Terry in the middle of the defensive line for the England national team. So I guess it's good that they have some chemistry there (although, when you think about it... England's defense isn't the best in the world). He's made appearances for Aston Villa, Burnley, Sheffield United, and, most recently, Bolton, where he made 130 appearances and scored 13 times (and scored the winning goal for them during their 2-1 win over Everton last week). He has been given the number 24 shirt, last worn by current QPR midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Cahill's released statement reads as follows:
"Chelsea is a massive club, it is a club that looks to win trophies season in season out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. Opportunities like this you can't turn down. This is the right move for me at the right time and I would like to thank everyone at Bolton because I've had a great four years at the football club. My spell with Wanderers has enabled me to break into the England squad, and I would particularly like to thank the fans for their support along the way. I always appreciate their backing."
Well, congratulations, Gary Cahill (and Chelsea).
Good luck at Stamford Bridge.
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