Cahill: I was not greedy

New Chelsea signing Gary Cahill claims he is upset about allegations he was ‘greedy’ during protracted negotiations with his new employers.

Cahill finally completed his move from Bolton to Stamford Bridge on Monday in a seven-million-pound deal to bring to an end an ongoing transfer saga that had threatened to turn ugly over the 26-year-old’s wage demands.

Rumours emerged that the England centre-half had asked for as much as 100,000 pounds a week plus a 4.5-million-pound signing on fee, which had previously threatened to hold up the deal.

Cahill, though, insists that the transfer was not financially motivated and wishes to prove that his move was based solely on footballing reasons.

“It’s disappointing when you see things in the press. You bite your lip because I didn’t read one report that was correct,” he said.

“It was upsetting, but my family and the clubs knew the real situation.”

“It was really hard (to accept the accusation that I was greedy) because that’s the perception I got.”

“It was difficult to read some of the stories. If it was about wages, I would have waited until the end of the season to make the move.”

“But I want to play football at a high level and would never turn down the opportunity to join Chelsea.”

Cahill explained that, despite a fee being agreed between the two clubs early in the transfer window, the deal was not held up because of haggling over his wage package but rather because there had been no conversations between the player and club before anything was announced.

“The fee was announced really early because it had been agreed so early,” he said.

“I’d had no dialogue with Chelsea, but it had come out in the press that a fee had been agreed.”

“It took four or five days from that point before we even sat down to speak about the move.”

“It took a couple of weeks before I had a meeting to speak with the manager. Two days after that I signed.”

He added: “The contract took no longer than any other contract I’ve signed, even my first one at 16.”

“But it felt like that because the negotiations were in the public eye as the fee had been agreed so early.”

“There’s never been a contract that was sorted out on the first day.”

“You say what you want and then you meet halfway, that’s how it goes.”

Cahill now wants to settle into his new life down south, starting with a win on Saturday against Norwich, after his new boss Andre Villas-Boas confirmed that he will be in the squad for the trip to Carrow Road.

“It was just a matter of time,” he said, “making sure that everything went right. It was a big move so everything had to be perfect.”

“Now that I’m here, I’m happy and want to concentrate on my football.”

Cahill insists that it does not matter how he is told to play at his new club, as he will do anything that they ask of him.

“It would be nice to get on the ball and play, but I also want to be that English defender who gets their head in and gets stuck in,” he said.

“Sometimes it doesn’t have to be pretty and if that’s the case I’ll make it not pretty.”