I have been saying for the last 5 years that we lack a leader in our back four, not since the departure of Jose Fonte have we had an organiser and a leader, could Gary Cahill fill that role or could Saints look to pay out for someone a little younger.

Saints do have some leaders in the team, the likes of James Ward Prowse, Oriol Romeu , Jan Bednarek and even Stuart Armstrong lead by example, but they are not leaders of men and just as importantly they are not organisers.

At Everton Saints once again fell away in the final stages of the game, as has happened on many occasions in the past few years we can dominate games in the early stages, but in the final stages we give away far too many points.

Some would say it is a lack of fitness or the fact that we blow ourselves out and the legs go in the last 15 minutes, but it is something more than that, it is organisation and leadership.

When the game up's its tempo in the last 20 minutes it is just as much about cool heads and keeping our shape as it is about fitness and we have lacked someone to do that.

So the news that we are linked with Gary Cahill is music to my ears, in some respects with the B team we have already done something similar in bringing back Ollie Lancashire to mentor our youngsters, an old experienced head to organise and keep the heads up and that is what we need Gary Cahill or someone like him to do with the first team.

Someone who is something more than just a player but a mentor as well.

The 6ft 4 inch central defender will turn 36 in December, but he can still do a job for us, of course his best days are behind him, but it should be remembered that it was only 3 years ago that he played 27 Premier League games for Chelsea and in his two years at Crystal Palace he has managed 25 & 20 games respectively in the league.

So he could well be the man for us, of course Saints will feel that in Jan Bednarek & Mo Salisu we have two players that we have a partnership that could last us several seasons, but Bednarek needs a leader and Salisu needs experience.

Cahill coming in could be a valuable asset coming off the bench in the last 20 minutes to steady the ship.

But with the sale of Jannik Vestergaard and half of the Danny Ings money still left, we could opt to actually spend some money on the problem, Phil Jones of Manchester United has been mentioned before and he could suddenly become an option.

Nat Phillips of Liverpool has also been mentioned, but is he really any better than who we already have, at 24 his League experience is just 17 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League and 19 for VfB Stuttgart in Bundesliga 2.

At his age he really should have more under his belt than that and our problem is all about the lack of leadership and experience, not being a promising youngster.

So Gary Cahill could be a good fit for Saints, both on and off the pitch, on the training ground we seem to lack a coach with defensive nous, with Cahill it could be just as much about what he does off the pitch and on the training ground as it does in a Premier League match .

Photo: Action Images

Keesie66 added 15:06 - Aug 16 Please no!!! What ambition does this show... Cahill as a back up and mentor maybe but not a first choice CB!!! The Vestergaard money will just disolve, dissapear unless it is invested in the next 2 weeks..... All hands on deck now!!!
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pintsizedsaint added 15:15 - Aug 16 It’s not as crazy as you think. If Cahill is happy to take a wage cut then he would be a fantastic addition for no transfer cost. Nat Phillips would be awesome - he’s very highly regarded but is in a Liverpool team that has some seriously good CB’s. He’s known to be fearless and a leader too. He ticks all the SFC transfer boxes as he will develop and probably have a high resale value.

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derbydog added 15:24 - Aug 16 I don't think so… it’s not wot we do. We buy younger players with a potential resale value. We don’t do old timers we can’t develop. You’ll be suggesting signing Theo Walcott next!! Joe Worrall sounds more likely…
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highfield49 added 15:28 - Aug 16 Agreed pintsizedsaint, Nat Phillips is a far better choice, and why on earth would we want a player no longer fit enough to play for Palace. If we need an experienced player, as a mentor to the defenders, I believe Martin Caceres is out of contract again and has slightly younger legs than Cahill.
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KriSaint added 15:34 - Aug 16 Depends solely on his wage demands. If he takes a serious pay cut - enjoying to be part of a PL team at his age - I welcome him. Absolutely. I don' t know about Nate Phillips. Maybe? He would probably cost at least the money we got for Vestergaard, but he is far from the finished article, and I'm just not sure about his potential.
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Peterx added 15:40 - Aug 16 Was looking at the EFL highlights and Rob Dickie made an amazing goal line save that showed unbelievable tactical awareness, pace as well as scoring at the other end. If the rest of his performances stack up I would say lets spend some cash on him.
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Scrappy2020 added 15:40 - Aug 16 Get Cahill and Phillips,our second half displays have been terrible this year,it is no good pressing,getting tired and unable to protect a lead,we need to manage the second half and slow the game down,Cahill and Phillips will tighten things up or its relegation time!!
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saintmark1976 added 16:01 - Aug 16 “So the news that we are linked with Gary Cahill is music to my ears”. Please tell me that you posted this comment as a joke Nick. The man is nearly 36 years old and judged not good enough to play for Palace for pity sake. Next you will be suggesting that Razor Ruddock is without a club or perhaps even Mel Blyth and either would be worth a shot.
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PaleRider added 16:37 - Aug 16 To be fair to Nick - the logic is good. However, I'm not sure that Cahill is the man to do the job any more. I actually really like the idea of Caceras, maybe together with Phillips? My criticism of Bertrand was that he was never a leader.
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IWOZTHERE added 16:43 - Aug 16 I've been saying that for 3 years but this is 2 years too late. That said, he is exactly the type we need, out of contract for a free. But will he reduce his wages and settle for a short contract?
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redwight added 18:17 - Aug 16 Last time Caceres was at St Mary's he was a world cup quarter finalist and we never played him (for reasons which I never understood). It would be quite something if we were to get him on the books again with an extra 5 years on the clock and now way past his prime. Mind you, with Saints, anything is possible.
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barry_sanchez added 20:30 - Aug 16 Should have got him 2 years ago, its now 2 years too late.
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pwithers123 added 10:32 - Aug 17 Agree with Cahill doubters - Ralph is getting some excellent quality young players - who cannot get games at big clubs yet are excellent. They now come to Saints because : # 1 He gives them a chance at 1st team ( No one gets a guaranteed place- because Ralph looks at their training performances each week ) # 2 He coaches them so they learn fast and under immense pressure . If we get Cahill - and he gets games despite being unable to physically perform - then what does that say to the young and hungry aggressive guys he is bringing in ?

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