6:00am Thursday 9th July 2009
By Marc Iles
WANDERERS plan to resume talks with Gary Cahill over an extended contract after he returns from his summer break.
His was one of two notable exceptions this morning as the first team squad clocked in for pre-season training at Euxton.
Cahill, who was involved in England’s World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra over the summer, has been told he can link up with the rest of his team-mates when they fly out to Austria on Saturday for an intensive fitness camp Fabrice Muamba was also granted additional time off, having played for England Under-21s in the European Championships.
Cahill, who signed a three-and-a-half year contract in January 2007, is regarded as one of the Premier League’s most highly-rated young defenders and was linked with a big money move to Arsenal at the end of last season.
Megson revealed his intention to tie the 23-year-old down to an extended deal in May but talks were put on hold over the past few months with the centre-back away on international duty.
Despite being linked with a move elsewhere after an impressive first full campaign, Cahill has hinted his immediate future will lie at the Reebok, giving reason for optimism that he will pen a new deal in the coming weeks.
Megson announced his intention to “build a team around” the Sheffield-born star, stating amidst continuing speculation about a move to Arsenal that it would take a bid larger than the £15million the club received for Nicolas Anelka from Chelsea in January 2008 for Bolton to sell their prized asset.
Wanderers plan to take their entire first team squad to Austria for the second successive season, including last season’s long-term casualties Joey O’Brien and Ricardo Vaz Te.
The squad will train in the small central Austrian town of Bad Aussee, which is more than 2,000 feet above sea level.
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