Fulham are in pole position to sign Gary Cahill from Chelsea on a six-month loan deal, according to reports. Cahill has been heavily linked with a transfer to Arsenal as the centre-back targets more game time in the second half of the season.
The Englishman has hardly got a look-in since Maurizio Sarri took over at Chelsea in the summer, and has made just seven appearances in total.
Cahill has managed only 21 minutes in the Premier League and is keen to move on this month. The Sun claim Fulham are closing in on signing Cahill, as Claudio Ranieri aims to kickstart his side’s push for survival. Fulham picked up crucial points in December, but shipped four goals in defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday night.
The Cottagers remain a point from safety and Ranieri hopes Cahill’s experience will be enough to steady a fragile defence. Chelsea are open to a permanent deal, but will sanction a loan spell should the clubs fail to come to terms. Arsenal will now need to look elsewhere for defensice reinforcements, as Unai Emery is keen to strengthen.
The Gunners bounced back from a 5-1 defeat to Liverpool with a 4-1 thrashing of Fulham, but Emery remains concerned about the capabilities of his defenders. Arsenal have only managed to keep three clean sheets this season, the same number of shutouts West Ham and Huddersfield Town have claimed.