Why Celtic must make a January swoop for Gary Cahill
Gary Cahill says he could be forced to leave Chelsea in January after losing his place in the team under new manager Maurizio Sarri, according to the Evening Standard.
Cahill, 32, has featured in only one Premier League game for the Blues so far this season. Antonio Rudiger has pushed Cahill to the sidelines this term by putting in impressive displays at the back under Maurizio Sarri. Above all, David Luiz has been thrown a lifeline by Sarri after the Brazilian got frozen out by former manager Antonio Conte in the 2017/18 season.
With Rudiger and Luiz performing consistently in the first XI and Andreas Christensen being the first-choice backup option, Cahill has found limited game time. The 32-year-old is also out of contract at Chelsea at the end of the season, but he appears to have accepted that he may have to leave Stamford Bridge before the end of his current deal.
As Cahill’s contract expires next summer, there are chances that he might be available in a cut-price deal this January. Keeping that in mind, Scottish champions Celtic must sign him in January.
Celtic have not had the best of starts in the Premiership and currently lie fifth in the table after seven games, six points adrift of early pacesetters Hearts. Although goalscoring has been the Hoops’ biggest problem this season, the defence has also come under a lot of scrutiny with Brendan Rodgers so far failing to settle down on a permanent defensive pairing.
And this is where Cahill’s signing would prove to be a sensible move for Rodgers’ Celtic. The England international would be tempted to continue playing regularly at the highest level and he would undoubtedly boost Rodgers’ defensive options.
Cahill joined Chelsea from Bolton Wanderers in January 2012 and has gone on to win the Premier League, FA Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League during his time at Stamford Bridge. The defender was a part of the England national team that made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
An astute defender and a real leader on and off the pitch, Cahill has gained volumes of experience and his addition to the Celtic ranks would help them massively. While it is true that he has lost a bit of pace over the past year and may not be as agile as he was in his prime, the Englishman’s general defensive nous and the ability to read the game is exactly what Celtic need at the moment.
Celtic have looked quite shaky at the back and their inability to defend crosses and aerial balls played into the box does seem concerning for Rodgers. Cahill would be able to repair those fundamental errors at the back as his towering presence in the box could be an asset for the Bhoys.
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Hence, signing Cahill would make perfect sense for Celtic as it would also allow them to increase their depth to a great extent. Cahill would definitely represent a coup for the Scottish outfit and his arrival in January would immensely benefit Rodgers’ men, both on and off the pitch.