No benchwarmer: More headache for Blues as Cahill threatens to leave

England international may look elsewhere if playing time does not improve.

WATFORD: Chelsea defender Gary Cahill admits he could follow John Terry out of Stamford Bridge if he doesn’t force his way back into the starting line-up.

Terry surprisingly revealed on Sunday that he is set to leave Chelsea at the end of the season after being told by the club’s hierarchy that he won’t be offered a new deal when his current contract expires.

Ahead of Chelsea’s Premier League clash at Watford on Wednesday, a Blues spokesman claimed club captain Terry could still be asked to stay depending on the plans of the eventual successor to interim manager Guus Hiddink.



But Terry, 35, seems convinced his 18-year association with the Blues is coming to an end and worryingly for Chelsea’s long-term planning, there is a chance fellow centre-back Cahill may leave too.

After starting just two league games since November, Cahill has grown disillusioned with his slide down the pecking order behind Terry and Kurt Zouma.

“Ultimately, I feel like I need to play football matches,” he said. “I’ve always been that way. It’s always been in my make-up to play a high percentage of games.”



The England international suggested things need to change soon if he is to stay at Chelsea. “You get people criticising players who are happy to sit on the bench and pick up their money but that’s certainly not me,” he added. I want to be out there and be a big part of things if I possibly can.”

For now, the 30-year-old will have to wait anxiously to see if he retains his place for the trip to Vicarage Road, where the Blues are likely to receive a stern test from a Watford side who, having already frustrated the Blues in a 2-2 draw on Boxing Day, would love to secure their first win over the West Londoners since September 1999.

Meanwhile, Everton will present their £13.5 million signing, Senegal striker Oumar Niasse from Lokomotiv Moscow, to their fans when they host Newcastle United at the Goodison Park.

The 25-year-old was the Russian Premier League’s player of the year in 2015 and scored 13 goals in 23 appearances for Lokomotiv this season. 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2016.

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