Chelsea will keep Gary Cahill around for the next 4 years after he just signed a new contract which will exempt him from the 1 year extension rule applied to players over 30. It`s a smart move for Chelsea who might have silently suffered because of this rule applied by most teams in the Premier League. Why you ask? Well, because players like Terry, Ivanovic, Lampard or Drogba who would want to end their career with the club cannot do so without living in fear that they will end up with no contract extension at the beginning of the summer. Even though this is not something people mention when looking at the poor form Chelsea’s defenders are in, it is a factor to consider. Terry was clearly disappointed that he was not given a contract that will allow him to end his career at the only club he ever played for. Ivanovic’s drop in form might also be related to his contract which expired in 2016 and will not be extended with more than a year due to the fact that he is 31.

Cahill has been one of Chelsea’s main men for the past two seasons, being voted one of the two best central defenders in the Premier League for two years in a row. With Terry probably out at the end of this year, experience is needed to guide new comers such as Zouma or Rahman. Cahill has the authority, the personality and the years to take on the role of mentor for any new defenders who gets signed by Chelsea. According to ESPN, the defenders has not lost his drive and is still looking to win as many trophies as possible. After putting pen on paper he expressed his contempt with the new deal: “I have achieved a lot here and I hope I can keep on learning, helping the team and lifting trophies over the next four years.” Hopefully this boost of confidence will show in his games and will extend to some of his fellow defenders who have been struggling since the beginning of the season and while giving a decent performance today could not avoid another loss – this time to Premier League new boys Bournemouth.