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Gary Cahill wasn’t always destined to be a Chelsea player – with Arsenal hot on his tail only a few months earlier, the deal fell through hours before the transfer window shut – and Arsenal settled on Per Mertesacker instead. As Cahill remained a Bolton player for the first half of the season, the team struggled dramatically, hovering around the bottom half of the table. With Bolton trying to scrape together player and avoid relegation and Cahill’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, it seems inevitable Gary would be moved somewhere during the January transfer window.

Gary Cahill will be wearing blue this January

Rumors of Cahill to Chelsea really started to pick up steam when Alex was removed from training with the first-team by Andre Villas-Boas for allegedly speaking to other clubs. The delinquency of Alex coupled with injuries and suspensions to David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic meant players such as Jose Bosingwa were forced to play alongside John Terry in the center of defense, which given Bosingwa’s defending ability (or lack thereof) is certainly far from ideal.

Here is a timeline recapping the entire Gary Cahill to Chelsea transfer saga:

December 30th – It’s announced Bolton and Chelsea agreed to a fee for the transfer of Cahill to Chelsea, confirmed by Bolton manager Owen Coyle.

December 31st – AVB confirms the fee has been agreed upon but Chelsea and Cahill’s agent were  “miles apart” from reaching a deal.

January 6th – Cahill was rested for Bolton’s FA Cup third-round trip to Macclesfield, which would have cup-tied him, sparking serious rumors the deal to Chelsea was close.