Bolton's loss is Chelsea's gain

“Cahill scored 15 goals in 147 appearances for the Trotters”

On Monday, Chelsea completed the signing of Gary Cahill from Bolton Wanderers for a fee believed to be in the region of £7m. The departure of Bolton’s most inspirational defender is unlikely to help Owen Coyle’s men in their fight for Premier League survival and Sky Bet now offer a best-priced 4/7 for the Trotters to be relegated in May.

The England international is Chelsea’s first signing of the January transfer window and Blues manager André Villas-Boas will be keen to ensure that he is not the last. His ageing Chelsea squad is in need of an overhaul and Villas-Boas will be hoping that 26-year-old Cahill can provide the figurative facelift needed by a defence that has already conceded 32 goals in all competitions. Only the Premier League's bottom five have conceded more at home and Villas-Boas will know that a far better record is expected of any genuine title-hopefuls.

Cahill scored 15 goals in 147 appearances for the Trotters. Ironically, his goalscoring strike-rate for Bolton is almost identical to that of Fernando Torres at Chelsea. However, it is Cahill’s defensive capabilities that will have convinced Villas-Boas to invest. He has more pace than Branislav Ivanovic, more consistency than David Luiz and is less prone to error than both. He will therefore expect to become the first-choice partner to John Terry in the very near future with a possible debut anticipated at Norwich on Saturday. The Chelsea manager will also be hoping that the increased competition for starting places will inspire improved performances from both Ivanovic and Luiz.

Cahill will be familiar with several of Chelsea’s star men including England teammate Frank Lampard and former Bolton loanee Daniel Sturridge. His understanding with fellow England defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole can only serve to improve his chances of building on the seven international caps he has received to date. He is now 4/7 with Stan James to start England’s first game of Euro 2012 - captain John Terry, at 1/6, is the only centre-half with shorter odds.

Chelsea are currently fourth-favourites to win the Premier League and fourth-favourites to win the Champions League. They are 4/1 favourites with Stan James to win the FA Cup and yet, somewhat bizarrely, are 5/1 with the same bookmaker to win any major trophy. AVB will be hoping that his first January signing can plug the defensive holes to produce his first piece of silverware in his first season in charge.

Written By:- Simon Fisher (About our Authors)
Posted on:- 18/01/2012 - 16:22 PM
Filed in:- Chelsea Betting News, Bolton, Chelsea