I'm really not happy about this but Gary Cahill has left Aston Villa for Bolton, for an undisclosed fee.

You can say what you want to me about this but he was a huge talent and shouldn't have been sold and for all this talk about having a small squad, it's not getting any bigger when all that happens is players are sold as new ones come in.

Why an undisclosed fee? Is it he's left for nothing close to the £5mn. that was talked about?

It really doesn't matter now as he's gone. In a few short days we've lost our CEO, for reasons that we will probably never find out because they'll be glossed over and Gary Cahill - who next? Will Randy Lerner sell the club when someone offers him £100mn.?

Next I'm going to find out that a non-executive director at Derby is talking to the fans on supporter forums. I wouldn't be surprised; the PR side of things from these guys is excellent.

We best finish in a European spot this season after all this! Funnily enough, it's actually looking better tonight after Liverpool lost and Manchester City drew.

We're still fifth! Let's hope we kick on tomorrow with a few more signings and no more departures.

Comments (26)

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Darragh said:

Sad to see him go but sure you win some you lose some. BTW thank WHU and Derby for keeping us in fith and of the teams around us we have a slightly easier run of it for a while. On another note - just checked out the stats for top goalscoreers - we dont have one player in the top twenty. Thats simply not good enough if we have aspirations for European football. We need a prolific goalscorer - quickly!

January 30, 2008

Badger said:

Damian, you're at it again Calm down mate. Cahill was a good prospect, but hey, that's the way it goes. 5th is in the bag, I reckon. I've said this elsewhere, but I'll say it again. The good times are here, some of you just can't see it yet

January 30, 2008

Bumhug360 said:

Undisclosed fee normaly means its full of clauses, appearance fees stuff like that. We may of got paid 1 million for him with 3 million being paid over next 3 years another 500k if he makes a certain amount of appearances and another 500k if he gets an England cap maybe even a sell on fee in there as well. As the final figure for the transfer isnt known goes down as undisclosed. Cahill could of been a good player but if he was better than Knight or Davies he would be playing first team football, he hasnt so obviously hasnt been putting the effort into training that would earn him a first team place. Cahill wanted first team football, he wasnt prepared to wait so he is off. No doubt he will get first team football at Bolton and improve as a player, in 2 or 3 season time he may get a move to a bigger club and make the England team or he may end up playing in the championship as Bolton yo-yo between the leagues. By staying at Villa though he wouldnt get any better and as we move forward he wouldnt progress at the standard we would require

January 30, 2008

Dermot Donn said:

I think if we got the 4-5m that was suggested in the media it a good bit of business. He is a good player but wont break into the team in the near future. Im a bit worried on the players coming in or lack of it.Not to sure bout Routledge but for 1.25m cant be to bad. I want to hear tomorrow that we have signed 1. Onouha for 6m 2 Bently for 7m and Defoe for 9m. I would be over the moon and 4th place easily

January 30, 2008

nan was a fan said:

Didn't see anything tonight to trouble us for 4th place slot.

January 30, 2008

villain of the north said:

I think it's a shame that the players leaving are the ones who should be villa blood through and through and fighting for their place. I have no doubt MON would have kept him and ridgewell, also davis if they had wanted to stay and fight for a place... Clearly they didn't feel like they had what it took to push villa forwards.

January 30, 2008

madladdy said:

I don't get why everyone thinks Cahill is such a huge talent and a good prospect etc. Face it he's just not good enough! He's not a kid. He's 22-23 now and can't get into our first 11. There's obviously something MON and the staff see that mean's he's 4th choice. Also the fact that the 3 teams that all come in for him are relegation fodder should tell you all you need to know! To put it into context Rio Ferdinand was sold for £18m at 22 and then again for £30m at 23 - don't hear any top teams screaming out to sign him for huge amounts do you?

January 30, 2008

Kieran McGrath said:

to be honest most times that im angry i normally try to hold back but this time its a fecking disgrace, why moan that we have a small squad then let a player with potential go to BOLTON, and then sign a player from tottenham, that has half the talent as cahill, i know most people say trust in o'neill (i am/was one of them) but this time its an absolute job we are not a poor club, nor are we in debt so why not hold onto a player until the end of the season. whats the worst that can happen, maybe he doesn't play, then so be it id rather find out a player isnt what we all think he i than think of what might have been. in my opinion tonights dealings have been very poor and actually think that unless we buy so exceptionally good player tomorrow then europe is out of the question.

January 30, 2008

Kieran McGrath said:

job= joke LOL

January 30, 2008

mattbrian said:

good bit of business i think. cahill was wasted at villa Bolton need to strengthen defence and we've payed over the odds for an unproven player. plus you've got 2 outstanding center halves in knight and laursen.

January 31, 2008

madladdy said:

Jesus christ! YES your all right, Cahill was the biggest talented 23 year old defender in the league, the top 4 were kicking our door down to sign him only for Bolton to sneak in at the last second - jammy gits. We've lost a player who was the life and sole of the team.. In fact the ONE substitutes reappearance he made this season is the only reason we're 5th in the league. The manager and the rest of the players have been carried on his shoulders. They don't have a clue - MON OUT NOW!

January 31, 2008

madladdy said:

OR to put it another way we just got an est 5million quid for an average defender who will be well at home at the bottom half of the Premiership or top of the Championship - who didn't want to stay and fight for a place, who was 4th choice - 5th if you count Melberg. He was nothing more than an average squad player! If you want Europe wake up and realise he wasn't good enough, just like Davis, Ridgewell, Samuel, Hughes & McCann - which is why they have ALL done nothing since they' left too.. MON has got us to 5th in the league have a bit of faith.. (On and also IF we sign a Right Back tomorrow, we'll have Laursen, Melberg, Davis, Knight as out back four.. Cahill wouldn't have even got on the bench... I think £5m is a GREAT bit of business.)

January 31, 2008

Arrlui said:

Looking at Brad Guzan I'd say he's got awesome reflexes, rushes off his line like lightning and is as brave as they get. Watch his save and smother on 3:50 (youtube). Plus he denies Angel in that clip haha.

January 31, 2008

Arrlui said:

Oh, and he can save penalties all day long.

January 31, 2008

boyo from brizzle said:

At it again indeed! after all these positive comments over the past few days it all goes to pot. lets be honest were all going to love the villa no matter what!

January 31, 2008

kohoutek said:

Are the same people who rated Ridgewell, Davis, and McCann the ones ready to slit their wrists over Cahill? The relegation-zone crew vs. the European spots crew. As many others have said before me, if Cahill was good enough, he'd be playing. He wanted away, so MON let him go and got some cash instead of holding onto him and losing him on a free. This is good for morale in a team. Players know they're there by choice, and can go anytime they want. The ones who remain aren't troubled by want-aways. I know it's hard to fathom, because most teams don't do their business MON's way. But that's why MON is so highly rated. How much for Torres? Villa are in front. Elano & Petrov? Villa are in front (albeit by GD). MON's cleared out loads of deadwood from a Championship talent pool, replaced them from inside and outside, and has the team 5th. That's really all there is to say. Don't know how the last stretch will play out, it could all come undone. But so far, one simply has to admit that MON obviously knows more than his doubters.

January 31, 2008

Little Ted in Dubai said:

Yeah i'm vexed about the size of the squad but a bit of perspective is needed i think... MON only dumps players who are surplus to requirements & replaces with first team players or potentials: Davis/Hendry/Smiler = OkeyCokey/Petrov/Maloney Angel/Baros = Carew/Young/me-main-man-Marlon (overhead kick me right up son! Any one who has ever pink slipped anyone or forced them to "tender their resignation" knows its not a jolly, but absolutley necessary to move the organisation forward.. I hate the small squad too, but right now i'd rather have Routledge than Cahill as at least he will play & has a lot to prove... precisely MON's drink of choice! Its no conincedence he has taken us to 5th boys!!

January 31, 2008

gazza said:

I'm sure it was when Cahill was in the side, we were leaking goals at set pieces like there was no tomorrow. Maybe his marking or positioning is poor, who knows.

January 31, 2008

mossiewalsh said:

sad to see him go but happy to see routledge come in, we have to trust MON. great results for us last nite, a new rb today and europe will be waiting on us, top 5 come may.

January 31, 2008

avfc 4 lyf said:

In My opinion i think that we've got first refusal, like Man U with Rossi! they sold an amamzin player so did we n if he gets better i think that we will sign him bak.

January 31, 2008

AK28 said:

I don't think it matters if Cahill is going to be a great player or not i just can't see why we would sell him now with only 24hrs left in the window. I know MON probably has last sec transfers lined up but you never know with him. Why does he leave it til the last sec to do these deals. If anything goes wrong with the deal then the window is shut and we are left with no cover again. MON is a great man manager (prob the best in the business) but when it comes to the transfer market i feel he is too smart for his own good. By the way just for a matter of fact does anyone know how much have we spent since Lerner came in when we deduct the money recieved for players that have left? I trust MON i really do but when i see all the teams going for 4th slipping up and us just bringing Routledge in it just kills me.

January 31, 2008

ozavfc21 said:

sad to see him go but id rather he went to bolton than the scum, so i wish him all the best for the future.

January 31, 2008

Woodinho said:

madladdy - i like it mate...

January 31, 2008

Mark Taylor said:

I just cannot work out why the hell we've let Cahill go, Who would you like at Centre Back? Zat Knight or Cahill....

January 31, 2008

Luke Marson said:

I think despite what has been said that MON doesn't have a bottomless pit of cash and has got to raise funds before he can buy. Maybe why Fitz left.

January 31, 2008 | url

dean harris said:

GOOD LUCK to cahill is all as far as im concerned hes a legend "hey gary cahill ooh ahh i wanna knowowoowo how you scored that goal"

January 31, 2008

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