Cahill eager to battle his way back into Sarri’s squad

Gary Cahill is ready to stay and fight for his Chelsea place, despite being frozen out of Maurizio Sarri’s squad.

The new head coach has yet to include Cahill in any of his three Premier League squads. That prompted suggestions Cahill could leave, either on loan or permanently, before the end of the month when the overseas and Championship transfer windows shut.

Reports in Turkey have claimed Galatasaray have been chasing Cahill, while there was Premier League interest in the 32-year-old earlier in the summer.

A move to Turkey is not thought to appeal to the central defender at this time and unless a much better option emerges, he is prepared to try to fight his way back into Sarri’s plans until January, when he can reassess his situation.

That is despite the fact Cahill could find his captain’s armband is given to either Cesar Azpilicueta or Eden Hazard on a permanent basis, with Sarri still considering who to appoint in the role full-time.

Azpilicueta captained Chelsea

Lead role: Gary Cahill faces competition for his captain’s armband at Chelsea against Newcastle United, but Hazard has also been considered by Sarri and a final announcement on the position could be put off until the players return from the international break.

Cahill, who captained Chelsea to the FA Cup last season, has often found himself benched by previous Chelsea managers, including Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho, only to force his way back into the team.

But this is the first time he has been left in the stands, with Sarri claiming that defenders take longer to learn his methods. “For a defender, it’s more difficult to play in my team after only 20 days of training,” said Sarri. “It’s easier for an offensive player. So I think that, at this moment, he needs to have a lot more defensive training with us.”

Asked if he had communicated that to Cahill, Sarri replied: “Yes, but I told him that he needs to be patient now and that he is very important for us.”

Another left out of Sarri’s plans so far, Danny Drinkwater, is also preparing to stay at least until January. Chelsea are prepared to sell or loan Drinkwater but the 28-yearold spent pre-season trying to impress Sarri and prove that he can be part of his squad.

That does not seem to have worked, as Drinkwater is yet to be part of a match-day squad, but the midfielder is reluctant to be rushed into a last-minute loan in the final few days of August.