Chelsea have announced that defender Gary Cahill has signed a new four-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
The England international has made a total of 177 appearances for the Blues since joining from Bolton Wanderers in January 2012 and has now agreed a contract to keep him at the club until 2019.
The 29-year-old told Chelsea’s official website: “I’m really pleased to commit my future to Chelsea and it’s great the club has put their faith in me. I have achieved a lot here and I hope I can keep on learning, helping the team and lifting trophies over the next four years.”
Cahill has won every major trophy during his time at Chelsea – the Champions League and FA Cup double in 2012, the Europa League in 2013 and the Premier League and League Cup double last term.
His new commitment with the Londoners is an indication that Jose Mourinho does not hold Cahill responsible for the defensive problems that have plagued his under-performing side this season.
Chelsea, defending champions, made their worst start to a campaign in 37 years and find themselves 14th in the table. How? Because they have conceded two or more goals in nine of their 14 games.
Cahill has been in and out of the side – his division-best partnership with John Terry from 2014-15 split to make room for Kurt Zouma – but Mourinho clearly sees him as a valuable figure going forward.
Significantly, he has been offered these new terms before his 30th birthday on December 19. The Blues have a strict policy of only handing out one-year extensions to over 30+ players, as The Sun reports.
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