Arsenal manager Unai Emery has quashed reports of the Gunners’ interest in wantaway Chelsea superstar Gary Cahill.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has ruled out any potential move for Chelsea star and former England international Gary Cahill in the January transfer window.
Cahill is in the final year of his contract with Chelsea and has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, having lost his place in the first-team under current manager Maurizio Sarri. The 32-year-old has featured just seven time across all competitions for the Blues, and hasn’t started a single Premier League game this season.
The former England international finds himself behind the likes of Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz and Andreas Christensen in the pecking order at Chelsea. Having grown frustrated with his current situation, Cahill has asked to leave the club in the ongoing window, leading to interest in him from several quarters.
Manchester United were believed to be monitoring the 32-year-old, but with Jose Mourinho not at the helm anymore, they are unlikely to pursue the Englishman. There had been reports of interest from Southampton as well, but most recently, rumours of Arsenal wanting to sign the former Bolton Wanderers man were picking up steam.
Arsenal have made an impressive start to life under Unai Emery, but continue to be plagued by defensive issues. The matters haven’t been helped by a long-term injury to promising young defender Rob Holding, while Konstantinos Mavropanos has also been hampered with intermittent fitness problems.
Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has returned to full fitness, but given his injury history, the Frenchman remains a liability, while Shkodran Mustafi also picked up an injury in the Gunners’ 4-1 win over Fulham on Tuesday night.
In light of all this, manager Emery hinted that the club could be forced into dipping their toes into the transfer market in the ongoing window.
Speaking after the win against Fulham, the Spaniard said in his press conference (h/t Football.London), “It’s not easy, improving our team in the transfer market, but the club is working, watching different possibilities. Maybe we can sign one or two players.”
When specifically quizzed about the possibility of signing former Chelsea captain Cahill, the former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss dismissed the possibility of a transfer, saying, “We didn’t speak about him.”
There is no question that Arsenal could benefit hugely from bringing in a centre-half this month. However, Chelsea outcast Cahill is unlikely to be the man to come through the doors at the Emirates Stadium before the end of the month, with a move for Real Valladolid’s Fernando Calero seeming more likely to go through.
