Chelsea Transfer News: Gary Cahill Will Boost Blues' Leaky Back Line

The long-awaited arrival of Gary Cahill may not cause supporters at Stamford Bridge to leave their seats in ecstasy, but at least Chelsea's defence will be a bit less leaky.

According to Mirror Football, the Blues have reached an agreement with Bolton to snag the 26-year-old Yorkshireman for a transfer fee of £7 million along with a £23 million contract that will keep him in West London until 2017.

The two clubs had come to an agreement of their own prior to the opening of the January transfer window, leaving the bulk of the blame for the acrimony to Cahill's own demands. The big central defender had sought wages of £100,000 per week but ultimately settled for £80,000.

Tough life, indeed.

In any case, Cahill will be a welcome addition, if an overpaid one, to a Chelsea side whose backline has proven to be a rather leaky one this season. Some of the blame is attributable to first-year boss Andre Villas-Boas' seeming preference for his defenders to play a high line, though surely many would just as easily place the brunt of the blame on the Sideshow Bob locks of David Luiz. If nothing else, Cahill will allow AVB the flexibility to keep Luiz off the pitch.

Cahill should be able to do more than just hold a place in Chelsea's starting XI, though. He figures to fit in quite nicely at center-back alongside John Terry, the wily veteran with whom he has a working rapport from the English national team.

With a tenuous hold on a top-four spot in the English Premier League and a busy second-half schedule up ahead, the Blues will need all the help they can get to weather what will likely be a rather difficult storm down the stretch. Gary Cahill should serve as something of an umbrella from the torrential downpour.

Of shots to Petr Cech's fashionable headgear, that is.

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