Crystal Palace have been told by Marcus Bent that allowing Gary Cahill to leave at the end of the month upon the expiration of his contract would be a ‘disaster’, according to Football Fan Cast.
Bent told Football Fan Cast in an exclusive interview that Cahill still has a ‘lot of quality’ to bring to the Eagles, as an exit at the end of the month looks increasingly likely with no talk of a new deal heard.
Cahill joined the South London outfit after his release from Chelsea in the summer of 2019 and has featured 45 times for the side in the Premier League since he arrived.
The 35-year-old has been a starter when fit and therein lies the key problem for Palace, it could be very risky handing a new deal to someone that has dealt with a couple of injury troubles.
Bent also stressed the leadership role that Cahill plays, the former England international has captained the Eagles on a few occasions.
See More: Arsenal still consider Premier League free agent as a transfer option this summer
Here is what Bent had to say on Cahill and the role he can still play for Palace:
“I find it harsh that he went from Chelsea at that time because they made him captain.”
“I found it harsh but Jose decided to bring in other players. Gary lives down the road, he’s still fit, he looks fit, he’s 30, will he drop down the leagues?”
“I’d like to think not because he’s still got a lot of quality to bring to the Premier League, and he’s got a lot of quality to bring to Crystal Palace.”
“I think if anything, I think Palace need to bring in someone that needs to play around him because his brain, his legs, his body are still working really well, he reads the game well, his experience, you need a centre-half.”
“I played with the likes of Matty Elliot, he played until he was 36 at Leicester, being the captain, as long as you’ve got players around him and that experience around them and that quality around them, I think they can give everything back, doesn’t mean they’re going to start every game or play every game throughout the season but you still need to have that within the dressing room, still need to have that within the squad.”
“To let him go would be a disaster for me.”
Given that Palace are losing a plethora of first-team players on free transfers at the end of June, keeping around some would certainly be a smart move to avoid the risk of heading into next season with a starting lineup including several news players.
Of course, there’s no indication right now that Palace see Cahill as one of the upcoming free agents that they’d be better off keeping in an effort to keep the squad glued together.