Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has seemingly pushed Gary Cahill towards the exit door after revealing he doesn’t have the attributes to fit his style of play.
The 32-year-old has been with the Blues since 2012, making 289 appearances for the club while winning two Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League and several other trophies and awards along the way.
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However, he’s been limited to just seven appearances in all competitions so far this season, just one of those has come in the Premier League, as he has fallen down the pecking order under Sarri with the likes of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger being preferred.
Coupled with the fact that his current contract expires at the end of the season, it has raised serious question marks over Cahill’s future at Stamford Bridge.
Sarri has now seemingly suggested that the stalwart doesn’t have a prominent role in his plans moving forward as he simply doesn’t fit his style of play, and so that should perhaps be enough for Cahill to concede that he has to move on either in January or next summer to secure regular football.
“I respect him very much because he has won everything with this club, but then I have to do my job,” he said, as quoted by ESPN.
“Our defenders may play 100 or 110 balls in a match so I need defenders [to play] very technically. It is not my decision, it is up to him and the club [whether he stays]. He is in the last year of the contract, he has to decide for a new contract here or another club. It doesn’t depend if I am sentimental or not.”
On one hand, it could be argued that’s a rather harsh assessment from Sarri and perhaps disrespectful in a way to a player who has given a lot to the club.
However, that is surely outweighed by his honesty and straight-talking which Cahill may well appreciate, and it could seemingly just make his decision next year easier as he at least knows where he stands.
It sounds as though he will continue to struggle for playing time at Chelsea as he simply doesn’t possess the ability to help his side dominate possession in the way in which Sarri wants them to.
