West Ham will only be able to sign Gary Cahill this summer if he lowers his wage demands, according to reliable source ExWHUemployee.
The Hammers have been linked with a late move for the 61 cap England international, who has been out of contract since leaving Chelsea at the end of last season, as reported by Football Insider.
But Ex is of the belief that a deal for the Champions League winner will not go ahead unless he is willing to take a pay cut.
Speaking on the West Ham Way podcast, he said: “His wage demands are very high, and obviously age isn’t on his side, but we could be considering a one-year deal if he’d drop his wage demands.”
OPINION
Cahill would be a fantastic signing for the Hammers on paper. Manuel Pellegrini obviously feels the need to reinforce his defensive options before the new season, and with Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid as his deputies, you can understand why. There are few players in the English game with the experience or winning mentality of Cahill, and the fact he is available on a free is a real gimme for any team keen on signing him. As Ex says, age is not on his side, but with Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena likely to continue the impressive partnership they started building last season, he wouldn’t need to be playing week in week out. Moreover, who better for the likes of Diop to learn is trade from than a player who has a Champions League title and two Premier League winner’s medals? Cahill only played 22 minutes of Premier League football last term, but the year before that he was still averaging 1.1 tackles and 4.6 clearances per match for Chelsea in the top flight [Whoscored]. His wages could be an issue, but if he can be persuaded to lower his expectations a little, this could be a brilliant move for club and player alike.
