Cahill given hope he has Blues future
MAURIZIO SARRI has revitalised Gary Cahill’s Chelsea career by naming the defender his official Stamford Bridge club captain.
Cahill had admitted recently he may have to leave the club to find regular first-team football after being dropped, so manager Sarri’s endorsement comes as a surprise.
Italian Sarri had refrained from making a firm decision on the captaincy after replacing Antonio Conte as Chelsea boss in the summer, but revealed he canvassed his squad’s opinion in landing on Cahill as official skipper.
Eden Hazard will be fit enough to play some part against Crystal Palace tomorrow, with the Blues still getting to grips with Cahill’s renewed captaincy.
“The captain is Cahill, and if he’s not on the pitch then it is Cesar Azpilicueta,” said Sarri.
“Our captain is Cahill because Cahill was the captain last season and I have spoken with his mates, and everybody told me he was really a very good captain.” Asked whether appointing Cahill as skipper means he will definitely be staying at Chelsea, at least until the end of the season, Sarri added: “I don’t know. It depends on him, I think. “For me Cahill is very important on the pitch but also off the pitch.” Meanwhile, Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodsgson is happy that Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has come good at last after picking him for England at the age of 19.
“He was a player you thought, ‘if he could get a run of games and keep himself fit, he has everything you’re looking for in a midfielder’,” said the former Three Lions manager.