Gary Cahill has urged John Stones to leave Everton and join Chelsea, saying the 21-year-old would be in a position to enrich his CV in ways that would not be possible at Goodison Park.
Cahill has seen first-hand from working with Stones on England duty why Jose Mourinho is poised to break the transfer record for a British defender by signing the youngster. A fresh bid – believed to be in the region of €45.7million – is expected this week.
Emotional ties
The Chelsea centre-half knows how hard it can be to cut the emotional ties after he was brought to Stamford Bridge from Bolton, where he made his name. Cahill won the Champions League in his first season at Chelsea and has since celebrated Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League triumphs.
In a move sure to agitate Roberto Martinez, who steadfastly and angrily insists Stones will remain at Goodison Park, Cahill believes the time is right for Stones to make the move and gear himself up for the next stage of his career.
“Are Chelsea a hard club to turn down? Yes, of course,” Cahill said. “In terms of ambition, if you’re a young player in the game, have played in the Premier League like he did a lot last year, and a big club come calling, it’s very difficult to turn down because you want to achieve the most you can in the short period you have in your career as a professional.
“When a top club comes calling, who you know will be firing on all fronts with competitions and medals, that’s ultimately what you want to be playing for. It’s hard to turn down, of course.
“He will look at the club, look at the players, and look at being involved in a squad like ours. When Chelsea came calling for me, it was an opportunity, it was a chance and looking from the outset you may not be sure how it’s going to go. But it’s one you can’t turn down; you have to grab it with both hands. Then you have to work as hard as you can to make it work.”
Cahill believes the chance to learn from John Terry would be invaluable for Stones and says his international colleague's career would move to a new level.
“Potentially he can be a top player, not just for us but also for England,” Cahill said in Harlem, where Chelsea launched a new community pitch.
“I think England will benefit because he will get more experience playing in the Premier League and also the Champions League. I’m sure he will become a bigger and better player for that.”
Cahill, who started alongside Stones in England’s wins against Norway and Switzerland last September, is confident Stones has the mentality and the ability to deal with a move to Chelsea.
Cahill has high hopes too for new signing Radamel Falcao. Mourinho was keen to speak to Cahill about the experience of playing against the Colombian last season. “I just remember he was non-stop,” Cahill said. “Even when he wasn’t getting a lot of the ball, off the ball I was having to do a lot of running, chasing him. He made that game tough.”
(Guardian service)
