Chelsea defender believes Everton defender John Stones would not regret moving to the Premier League champions and has told him to complete the £32million move.
Cahill has already experienced the ability of Stones while on international duty with England, with him and captain John Terry persuading manager Jose Mourinho to swoop for the youngster, with the Portuguese gaffer ready to spend ‘big money’ to sign the starlet.
However, Everton manager Roberto Martinez was left angered with the Special One, after Mourinho made his offer for the former Barnsley star public.
The Spaniard’s mood will be deepened by Cahill, after the centre-half has told Stones to leave Goodison Park in Merseyside and move to Stamford Bridge in West London.
Cahill, who is an England international, made the switch to the Blues in 2012 from Bolton Wanderers, and won the Champions League in his first season with the side before adding Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa Cup winner’s titles to his CV.
The 29-year-old was full of praise for Stones, who he started alongside for England in wins over Norway and Switzerland, he said: “I saw he was very comfortable on the ball from the first time I saw him with England.
“He was still a young player learning, you could see that. At the time you weren’t sure what position he was going to play in, right-back, centre-back and even in training he sometimes played in holding midfield.
“I am sure in the next few years he will fill out, learn a lot and potentially he can be a fantastic player.
“The Everton lads speak very highly of him, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines in particular, and he is a fantastic lad as well. If you look at his attributes, he has a lot to offer.
“When you talk about being able to handle something like that, you look at their personality.
“From what I have seen when I have been away with him for England, he is a genuinely nice guy, a down to earth lad. There is nothing ‘big-time’ about him. So for me, I’m sure he will be able to cope with the fee.
“Plus, with the right support around him, like from the more experienced players in the squad, and his family, I’m sure he’ll be fine.
“Are Chelsea a hard club to turn down? Yes of course. In terms of ambition, if you’re a young player in the game, have played in the Premier League like he did a lot last year, and a big club come calling, it’s very difficult to turn down because you want to achieve the most you can in the short period you have in your career as a professional footballer.
“When a top club comes calling, who you know will be firing on all fronts with competitions and medals, that’s ultimately what you want to be playing for. It’s hard to turn down of course.
“He will look at the club, look at the players, and look at being involved in a squad like ours.
“When Chelsea came calling for me, it was an opportunity, it was a chance and looking from the outset you may not be sure how it’s going to go.
“But it’s one you can’t turn down, you have to grab it with both hands. Then you have to work as hard as you can to make it work.” he added.
It is talked about that Stones wants to work under Mourinho and play alongside his footballing hero John Terry, as he is touted to replace the 34-year-old skipper when he hangs up his boots at Stamford Bridge.
On Stones’ future, Cahill said: “A mixture of the senior boys like JT, who has been there and done everything and the young lads like Kurt Zouma… and even me – I’m still learning too… so it’s great to have that mix together.
“Personality-wise he will fit into the group straight away. Potentially as a player he can be a top player, not just for us but also for England. I think England will benefit too because he will get more experience playing in the Premier League and also the Champions League. I’m sure he will become a bigger and better player for that.”
Many pundits have said striker Radamel Falcao’s move to the Blues is a ‘make or break’ moment in his career, with the Manchester United flop now being with the Chelsea squad following a longer summer break due to him being on international duty with Colombia in the Copa America.
Mourinho spoke to defenders Terry and Cahill about their experiences of playing against the former Atletico Madrid and Porto star while he was on loan at the Red Devils last campaign.
Cahill has admitted that it was difficult playing against Falcao, he said: “He is a top player, he is experienced. He has proved it. I’m sure he’d say last season didn’t go as well as he would have liked. But you don’t turn into a bad player over night. He has played at the highest level.
“I just remember he was non-stop. He was always pulling you left to right, coming short and running in behind. Even when he wasn’t getting a lot of the ball, off the ball I was having to do a lot of running, chasing him and he was moving me around every two minutes.
“He made that game tough and there was a lot of movement people didn’t see because the ball was elsewhere. I had to always be on my toes.
“This is an easy group to come into. Hopefully he will hit the ground running and score plenty of goals for us, which he is more than capable of doing.” he added.
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
