Official Gary Cahill transfer thread

[Tals-biggest-fan]

I just get the feeling that no ones going to buy him now as he's in his last year of his contract all the teams that want him can surive a season without him and then they can get him on a free..... Owen needs to get him to sign a new contract even if its an extra year just so we can get something from him when he goes!

[CrazyHorse]

I just get the feeling that no ones going to buy him now as he's in his last year of his contract all the teams that want him can surive a season without him and then they can get him on a free..... Owen needs to get him to sign a new contract even if its an extra year just so we can get something from him when he goes!

Bit of a gamble that though. Us to throw even more money at him on the off chance we get some back?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Depends, Hoss. Sammy Lee "threw more money at" Anelka - leastaways, got him to extend his contract with a £15m clause in it. That worked.

So let's do something veering dangerously close to a cost-benefit analysis, except bunged up with ifs. IF Cahill isn't sold this month and doesn't sign a contract he will almost certainly leave for free next summer. That's a £15m loss on potential transfer income. Not good.

I don't know how much he's on now – he signed an extension for Megson in 2009, shall we say £30kpw? If we offered him £40kpw that would be extending our wage bill by £500,000 this season and a further £2m per year he stays at the club – if he signed a three-year contract that would expose us to £2.5m over the course of it, in order to protect ourselves against a potential loss of £15m. Seems worth it, no?

If we furthermore agree to a "reasonable" reduction in his release clause - say £10m – it's highly likely that he will be sold before the contract ends anyway.

These may be finger-in-the-air figures, and if anyone on here knows better then they've been keeping bloody quiet about it. They're also important in that players are now literally assets, whose worth decreases towards the end of their contracts.

However, it's probably all moot. I rather doubt Gaz would sign an extension, which would be a pity as such events usually sour the relationship. And (perhaps due to my redeployment from midfield to defence) Cahill may be my favourite role-model Wanderer since, well, Per Frandsen.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

I think he could be persuaded given the scenario above. He'll get an extra half a mil for playing ball and in return knows he will be being sold for what people will be willing to pay for him (i.e. not 17 million but something more approaching half that). If he has a shit season, he's still under a good contract if nobody comes in, and if he continues to play well and be picked for england then his buy-out clause of lets say 8 million will be met by several bidders and he can take his pick.

[CrazyHorse]

Depends, Hoss. Sammy Lee "threw more money at" Anelka - leastaways, got him to extend his contract with a £15m clause in it. That worked.

It did work with Anelka, yes. Thing is, we've already gone through all this once with Cahill; he signed an extension last time with a release clause in it and here we are still stuck with him.
tbh and fwiw, I'm all for throwing money at him too cos it's not my money but if I were Uncle Eddie I'd probably consider cutting my losses now.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

But last time i think the upper hand was still slightly with us? Plus that release clause probably went up the first time he played for england? i dont know, i'd like to think a compromise can be reached quickly and he can settle down for the season to come.

[hisroyalgingerness]

We're too far down this trying to sell him road now. I don't know what's being said behind closed doors, and the lad himself has been very professional about it, but time's time. Either the rhetoric has to shift to trying to keep him, that we should be keeping players like Gary if we're to be successful - or we accept he goes for free and for £4m we had a very good centre half for 3 seasons.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

for £4m we had a very good centre half for 3 seasons.

Christ aye, put it like that and we've been privileged. Would that we could find another at anything like that price. Cheers, MO'N...

[Lofthouse Lower]

If only we were so lucky with other £4m centre halves from Villa

[Tombwfc]

"Stuck with him" seems a strange phrase to use when talking about our best player. I get that we're in debt and he's our most saleable asset, but equally his continued presence is contributing to us not getting relegated and swirling towards financial oblivion.

Any reasonable increase in wages to keep him would be money well spent, although I don't think he'd sign it. Anelka did, but he wasn't in the last year of his contract.

It does get a bit awkward if he's here post-September 1st though and he makes it clear he wants to run his contract down.

[CrazyHorse]

"Stuck with him" seems a strange phrase to use when talking about our best player. I get that we're in debt and he's our most saleable asset, but equally his continued presence is contributing to us not getting relegated and swirling towards financial oblivion.

Don't take my use of the phrase stuck with him the wrong way. I mean in the context that we've gone down the road of improved contract with a view to moving him on for a profit. It hasn't worked out like that cos he's still here.

[Lord Kangana]

Wasn't he £5.5m?

I'm fairly confident he'll go before the end of the window. Perhaps for less than we'd like though.

[Wandering Willy]

Couple of hamstrings for Arsenal's defence tonight.

Special price for you , Wenger - £20m.

[TKIZ!]

Couple of hamstrings for Arsenal's defence tonight.

Special price for you , Wenger - £20m.

Was about to post something similar. I'd rather we try an keep Cahill and see but if we can get £20m for him then I'm sure OC will know how to spend it

[Wandering Willy]

That price was for Robbo.

[5Stories]

Hiya, Arsenal fan here. Hope you don't mind be intruding but thought maybe I could shed some light on the situation from where I see it.

I would love to see Cahill here and think he'd be perfect, but as the days tick by I'm becoming less and less convinced it will happen. We've kept two clean sheets already this season and we all know Wenger will look for any excuse not to improve our defence and now he's got it. Our problems have become more pressing in midfield and I can see Wenger using that distraction as the perfect excuse not to sign a centre back. I've seen it for the last 3 or 4 years, every transfer window we've needed a top quality GK or CB, Wenger acknowledges we might need to improve the area and then backs out. I can see that happening again. The only way I can see us signing Cahill is on the last day of the window, Wenger will try and play roulette with you guys to try and get a bargain- pitching an offer around £10-12m knowing if there's no other offer you'll have to accept it. If he gets his man, he gets a fantastic bargain, if not he will give us the usual rubbish that we already have fantastic quality etc etc. I don't think us having a couple injuries will make much difference to the situation. We always get loads of injuries and Wenger never knee jerks.

I can't see any deal involving Bendtner because the reason we've struggled to shift him is his wages not his asking price. He's reportedly on £52k and won't take a cut. Personally I'd prefer we just kept him because Chamakh's useless but that's another story. Anyway, let's see what happens.

[wanderers_on_tour]

The idea of future replacements if Cahill goes has been floated round for sometime, here's nixons take..

JayJay2345 Jay
@reluctantnicko Will OC have to find a new defender to target just in case? Can't go with just Wheats and Knight!


reluctantnicko Alan Nixon
@JayJay2345 I would have no worries on that score. Whatsoever.

In Owen we trust!

[Lord Kangana]

Sam Ricketts will be like a whole new signing.

[Wandering Willy]

Hiya, Arsenal fan here. Hope you don't mind be intruding but thought maybe I could shed some light on the situation from where I see it.

I would love to see Cahill here and think he'd be perfect, but as the days tick by I'm becoming less and less convinced it will happen. We've kept two clean sheets already this season and we all know Wenger will look for any excuse not to improve our defence and now he's got it. Our problems have become more pressing in midfield and I can see Wenger using that distraction as the perfect excuse not to sign a centre back. I've seen it for the last 3 or 4 years, every transfer window we've needed a top quality GK or CB, Wenger acknowledges we might need to improve the area and then backs out. I can see that happening again. The only way I can see us signing Cahill is on the last day of the window, Wenger will try and play roulette with you guys to try and get a bargain- pitching an offer around £10-12m knowing if there's no other offer you'll have to accept it. If he gets his man, he gets a fantastic bargain, if not he will give us the usual rubbish that we already have fantastic quality etc etc. I don't think us having a couple injuries will make much difference to the situation. We always get loads of injuries and Wenger never knee jerks.

I can't see any deal involving Bendtner because the reason we've struggled to shift him is his wages not his asking price. He's reportedly on £52k and won't take a cut. Personally I'd prefer we just kept him because Chamakh's useless but that's another story. Anyway, let's see what happens.

Welcome 5Stories.

Wenger does seem to have a problem putting his hand in his pocket, but there are stories that he is still interested in Jagielka. Also rumours (Nixon/Mirror) that Everton are in for Onuha so that might be some truth in it. Can't see why he would prefer a 29 year old over Cahill but there you have it.

[aussie_wanderer]

someone cough up the money, if they dont, hope cahill signs a new contract, otherwise another elmander saga.