Former Chelsea captain Gary Cahill has joined Crystal Palace on a two-year deal. The 33-year-old became a free agent after his contract with Chelsea came to an end at the end of last season. Cahill was clearly surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and left the club after having barely played under Maurizio Sarri last season.
Cahill said to the Palace website: “I’m glad to be here, I think it’s a good opportunity for me to continue my career in the Premier League, and to play in a good, exciting team. There are some very exciting, talented players here. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
“I’m hungry to prolong my career as long as I possibly can – I feel like I’m in great shape and whoever I play for, I’d like to think that I give it 110% and leave everything out there – so hopefully that will be good enough for the manager, my team-mates and also the fans.”
? Introducing Gary Cahill and our brand new third kit…#CPFC
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 5, 2019
Joining Palace will allow Cahill to continue playing at the highest level
Cahill still remains good enough to compete at the highest level and still has another 1-2 years of good football left in him. He is certainly still hungry to compete at the highest level as evidenced by the fact that he joined the Eagles. He will be tasked to help solidify Roy Hodgson’s defence during the upcoming season. The Eagles suffered a blow this summer after Aaron Wan Bissaka left them in order to link up with Manchester United.
Cahill will also be able to act as a leader for the Eagles. The Selhurst Park club are being tipped as potential relegation candidates for the upcoming season and will need all the quality that they can get as they look to prove their naysayers wrong.
Cahill is a youth product of Aston Villa and started his career with the Villains at professional level. He was, however, unable to establish himself as a first-team regular for his boyhood club and eventually moved to Bolton Wanderers in 2008. It was at the Reebok Stadium that he really established himself as a household name in the Premier League and this culminated in a move to Chelsea in 2012. It was at the Blues were Cahill enjoyed the best spell of his career and where he became considered as one of the best players in England’s top flight.
He was highly-regarded at Stamford Bridge, so much so that he was chosen as club captain following the departure of the legendary John Terry in 2017.
