The Independent newspaper has revealed that Gary Cahill is ready to leave Chelsea Football Club in order to salvage his England career.
The defender is getting increasingly frustrated with his lack of first-team football and would consider leaving the London club if it meant he was more likely to be considered for Roy Hodgson for England’s European Championship squad.
Although Cahill is England’s vice-captain and has made more than 170 appearances for the defending Premier League champions, he has only appeared 12 times for the Blues in the league so far this season. He has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with John Terry and Kurt Zouma becoming the regular starters under the interim manager Guus Hiddink.
The 30 year old cost Chelsea £7 million when they bought him from Bolton in the 2012 January transfer window. He made 10 appearances under Jose Mourinho before the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ was sacked by Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, after leading Chelsea to their worst start to a top-flight campaign since the late 1960s.
He has played two games since Dutchman Hiddink took over from Mourinho and feels he is now at a ‘crossroads in his career’. His lack of appearances has left him ‘genuinely concerned’ about his chances of starting for England in the European Championships in France this summer. He played in eight of the national side’s ten games, all of which they won, as they qualified for the tournament with ease.
The emergence of John Stones at Everton, a player that the Blues tried to sign in the summer transfer window, and Chris Smalling at Manchester United has left the defender with real concerns about the likelihood of him starting for England in the Euros. This despite the fact that he won his 40th cap in a match against France in November last year.
Cahill will almost certainly be snapped up by any of the top clubs should his services become available. In May last year he became the fastest player in the Premier League era to win all five of the major trophies in the club game. Over the last three years with the Blues he has won the Fa Cup, the Champions League, the Europa League, the League Cup and the Premier League.