Bolton Wanderers: £5 million transfer will go down in Trotters folklore | OneFootball

Gary Cahill was a superb signing for Bolton Wanderers.

The back end of the January transfer window can often see deals struck in an emergency fashion with clubs desperate to solve their issues.

That can lead to panic buys that inevitably flop but Bolton Wanderers' 30th of January 2008 pickup of Gary Cahill was superb as the defender put in brilliant performances across a four-year spell.

This earned him a move to Chelsea Football Club, where, within just six months, Cahill became a European champion as the Blues saw off Bayern Munich in their own backyard.

Nonetheless, this success wouldn't have been possible without the Trotters as the defender built on the early signs he showed at Aston Villa.

Gary Cahill makes the move to Bolton Wanderers

Having come through Aston Villa's academy, Cahill spent much of his early seasons looking for first-team opportunities, as he was shipped out on loan to Burnley and Sheffield United.

He was particularly impressive during his spell at Bramall Lane and this prompted Villa to recall the young centre-back. However, instead of becoming a regular in Martin O'Neill's side, he was offered the opportunity to leave, with Bolton and Birmingham City keen on securing his signature.

Bolton's chief scout, Colin Harvey, was particularly impressed by Cahill and this prompted the Wanderers to offer £5 million for his signature, which was duly accepted.

Arriving at the Reebok Stadium, Cahill was thrust straight into the limelight by Gary Megson and made 18 appearances between January and the end of the season. Four of these came in the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League), where the young centre-back played a pivotal role in one of Bolton's most iconic victories - a hard-fought 1-0 win against Atlético Madrid.

That season concluded with a 1-1 draw against his future employers, Chelsea, as Bolton survived relegation by a narrow margin of one point.

Cahill continues to impress at Bolton

The following seasons saw Cahill become a stalwart in the heart of defence for the Trotters as he started his bid to become one of the most reliable centre-backs in the Premier League.

Making a further 129 appearances for the Lancashire club, his best moments arguably came at the other end of the pitch, with the defender having a real knack of scoring important goals.

A brilliant finish away at Queens Park Rangers in 2011-12 is certainly a standout, but match-winning moments against the likes of Portsmouth and Everton can't go unnoticed.

However, as many Bolton fans will be sure to point out, his double in a 3-2 win against former club, Aston Villa, possibly provided his most bittersweet moment.

This shouldn’t overshadow his defensive contributions though, with the 6ft 4in centre-half being a true throwback at times with his dominance in the air and exceptional ability in duels. Yet he was also composed enough to play out from the back and pick out passes with precision.

Prior to his departure for Chelsea in 2012, Cahill did have an opportunity to leave, but Owen Coyle was desperate to retain one of his top stars as they rejected a £6 million bid from Arsenal.

Entering the final year of his contract in 2011-12, he would depart the club that winter as Chelsea improved the Gunners fee by offering £7 million. This was too good to turn down for a player with just six months left on his deal and on the 16th of January 2012, Cahill made the move to Stamford Bridge.

Struggling at the bottom of the table and losing one of their top stars mid-season put Bolton in a perilous position and that season their 10-year stint in the top flight was ended.