Gary Cahill wants new long-term Chelsea contract — reports

We used to joke that the effective retirement age for football players in these modern days is 27.  While that may not always be the case, a far stricter rule is Chelsea's "one-year rolling contracts for players over 30" rule.  Nobody is immune, not the captain, not the vice-captain, not legends like Didier Drogba or Frank Lampard.  Gary Cahill certainly wouldn't be immune either, and he turns 30 in just three weeks.

With the "deadline" to sign a new long-term deal effectively being his 30th birthday, Cahill and his agent appear to be pushing for an extension by dropping hints in The Times and The Sun about Cahill possibly wanting to leave if he has to already start down the path of the one-year contracts.  His current deal expires after next season, in the summer of 2017.  He will be 31.

There had been rumors of a Cahill extension for most of 2015, if not even earlier, but so far, nothing's been signed.  The center back is still on his original deal, which at the time we found rather excessive at £80-100k per week, from way back in January 2012.  Well over 100 Premier League games, over 50 European and Cup games, a Champions League trophy, a Europa League trophy, an FA Cup trophy, a League Cup trophy, and a league title later, it's safe to say that it turned out to be a very wise investment.

While giving Cahill a truly long-term deal (think 4+ years), may not be the best idea, perhaps a two- or even a three-year deal may be appropriate — even though it would set precedence (being this close to his 30th birthday) that we chose not to set with the likes of Branislav Ivanovic.  However, with John Terry taking a large step closer towards not being good enough anymore and Kurt Zouma taking an ever larger step towards being our first-choice center back, having Cahill around as the veteran presence and partner to Zouma would be a good thing.  Even after Andreas Christensen returns, or we sign John Stones, or some other young contender emerges.