On This Day in 2012 – Chelsea sign England defender Gary Cahill from Bolton

Chelsea completed the signing of England defender Gary Cahill from Bolton on this day in 2012.

After weeks of speculation, the centre-back sealed a move to Stamford Bridge for a fee in the region of £7million.

It proved a fantastic switch for Cahill, who had spent five years at Bolton having initially progressed through the Aston Villa academy.

Upon joining the Blues, he said: “Chelsea is a massive club that looks to win trophies season in, season out.

“It is a big opportunity for me to be a part of that. Opportunities like this you can’t turn down.

“This is the right move for me at the right time.”

Cahill made the most of his chance to win silverware with the west London club and finished the 2011-12 campaign as a Champions League winner.

He returned early from injury to help Chelsea, who were without the suspended John Terry, earn a penalty shoot-out win against Bayern Munich in Munich to clinch Europe’s elite competition for the first time in their history.

More trophies would follow over the ensuing seven years, with the Europa League won during the following season before a Premier League and League Cup double was secured under Jose Mourinho in 2015.

Antonio Conte’s arrival a year later saw Cahill enjoy his best goalscoring campaign after he found the net on eight occasions in the 2016-17 term to help Chelsea secure another league title.

The defender from Derbyshire would complete his own trophy set when he captained the Blues to an FA Cup triumph over Manchester United at Wembley in 2018.

It would prove one of Cahill’s final appearances for Chelsea after being frozen out by Maurizio Sarri during a 2018-19 season where he played only eight times.

A move across the capital from west to south London saw the centre-back link up with his old international manager Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace and he showed he still had plenty more to offer in the top flight.

Cahill bid farewell to Selhurst Park in the summer of 2021 after keeping the Eagles in the division but continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the Sky Bet Championship at Bournemouth, who could give the 36-year-old another shot at Premier League football if they can secure promotion.

The defender played 61 times for England and featured in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups while he also competed in the 2016 European Championship.