Gary Cahill today (Monday) completed his transfer to Chelsea.
He becomes the fifth current England international in the squad and having passed a medical examination on Saturday morning, watched his new team-mates beat Sunderland in the afternoon.
On moving to Stamford Bridge from Bolton Wanderers, the 26-year-old central defender said:
'Chelsea is a massive club, it is a club that looks to win trophies season in season out and it is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. Opportunities like this you can't turn down.'
He is eligible to play for Chelsea in the FA Cup this season having not featured in Bolton's third round tie. He will wear the no. 24 shirt.
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| #24 shirt that Cahill will were at Chelsea. |
Born in Sheffield in December 1985, Cahill joined Aston Villa's Academy as a 15-year-old but joined Burnley on a half-season loan in late 2004, making his Football League debut in a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
He made 32 appearances in all competitions for the Clarets, winning both Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards at Turf Moor before returning to Villa's first-team setup in late 2005, making his bow in an 8-3 win against Wycombe in the League Cup, but it was not until April that he made a Premier League appearance in a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The defender kept his place however and began the next season at the centre of defence under Martin O' Neill, but after just two appearances in 2007/08 he went out on loan again, signing for Sheffield United in the Championship, scoring twice in 16 games for the Bramall Lane club.
A £5 million move to Bolton followed in January 2008 and Cahill quickly settled at the Reebok Stadium, becoming a fixture in Gary Megson's side and helping them avoid relegation.
An England Under 21 international since early 2007, Cahill was added to the England squad for a World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan in June 2009, but had to wait until September2010 for a debut, when he replaced the injured Michael Dawson to partner John Terry in a 4-0 win over Bulgaria.
In March 2011, Cahill made his first England start in a friendly against Ghana, and scored his first international goal away in Bulgaria in September (pictured below).
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| Scored his first international goal away in Bulgaria in September against Ghana in a friendly match |
Form at club level had remained consistently high under the guidance of Owen Coyle, and he played 36 league games during 2010/11, but stated he would not be signing a new contract for the Lancashire club when his current deal expired in 2012.
This led to interest from a number of top clubs but it was Stamford Bridge Cahill favoured as a destination.
SOURCE:chelseafc
