Cahill happy with one more trophy, confident of his own and Chelsea’s future

Gary Cahill has won it all, including the Europa League, which he’s now won twice. He may not have featured much for Sarri, and literally for just one (1) minute since the new year, but he did play the full 90 in four of the six group games back in the fall, comprising the majority of his competitive action for the year.

While Sarri, controversially, left him at home for every away game in the knockout rounds, Cahill was part of the traveling squad for the final in Baku and was certainly part of the trophy celebrations both on the pitch and in the dressing room and on the bus and wherever else it all went down. At one point, he was dousing Sarri with champagne, even.

Winning does make everything better, at least for a minute, after all.

“It was a fantastic experience, great to be involved in a great end to the season. The lads deserved to win the game. It was a great feeling, lifting the trophy, and being a part of this group that’s gone on to finish the season very well is pleasing. There are celebrations tonight and out with a bang.”

“To qualify for the Champions League is a great achievement and something that was a target for the lads. But to finish with a trophy is what they played for throughout the whole season.”

Cahill’s future lies away from Stamford Bridge, as his contract expires this summer, bringing to an end seven and a half years and almost 300 appearances for Chelsea. He’s never been the biggest star, but he’s always been reliable. And he’s far from done. At 33, he feels he can still do a good job in the Premier League, but he’s in no hurry to make any major decisions.

“I want to go away on holiday for a few weeks and then I’ll come back and see what options there are for me. I’m confident that potentially I might stay in the league but I want to wait and see, take the decision over the summer. I’ve got a lot of time to think about things and hopefully make the right decision. I can’t wait to get back playing next season. I’m looking forward to that.”

That confidence extends to Chelsea as well, where another rebuilding project is set to take place after what’s looking like another summer of drama and massive upheaval.

“Looking forward, we have to see what happens with the [transfer] ban and see how that plays out, but we’re looking forward to the young players coming through. They’re very exciting.”

“I’m sure the fans will embrace that and the lads who are still here. I see the squad being able to build again and move forward.”

-Gary Cahill; source: FourFourTwo

It will be weird to see Cahill in something other than a Chelsea shirt, but we can only wish him the best of luck, wherever he may end up.