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Chelsea’s soon-to-be out of contract central defender Gary Cahill is reportedly having second thoughts about joining Premier League strugglers Fulham in January, and Ralph Hasenhuttl must jump at the chance to sign him.
What’s the latest?
The Daily Mail are reporting that former Southampton target Cahill is having second thoughts about linking up with Claudio Ranieri at Craven Cottage, after the South West London outfit appeared strong frontrunners to land his signature.
It was believed that Fulham would sign the 33-year-old on an initial six-month loan deal ahead of his Blues contract expiring in the summer, but the former England international is having reservations about the suitability of the move.
Chelsea, themselves, are open to the two-time Premier League winning defender leaving Stamford Bridge in the mid-season window, even if a replacement is not brought in, as a sign of gratitude for his years of service with the Pensioners, though a permanent deal remains their priority.
Despite making progress since replacing Mark Hughes, Hasenhuttl, meanwhile, should jump at the chance to land the Champions League winning defender as he would vastly improve the Saints backline.
The Pl>ymaker FC squad decided to wind-up some unsuspecting Brazil fans at the Emirates on Saturday night. Watch the hilarious results in the video below…
A huge upgrade on Jack Stephens
Southampton’s improvements under Hasenhuttl cannot be ignored, but Cahill could make a key contribution on the south coast with his quality and leadership over the remainder of the season.
The former England international would certainly offer a huge upgrade on the likes of Jack Stephens, who has been thrust into the starting XI at times this season and will stay there following Maya Yoshida’s participation in the Asia Cup for Japan, but has only managed to record an average 1.8 tackles, 2.2 interceptions and 0.5 shots blocked per 90 minutes.
The 24-year-old also often struggles to cope with any aerial threats posed by the opposition, leaving Jannik Vestergaard and Jan Bednarek to cover for his obvious shortcomings.
As a result of the weaknesses displayed at St Mary’s, Southampton have only been able to record five clean sheets all season in the Premier League, four of which came under Hughes against Burnley, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Newcastle – Hasenhuttl’s only shut-out came against Chelsea when Angus Gunn recorded six saves from six shots on target.