Despite having an incredible 2014-2015 season, Chelsea FC legend John Terry is unquestionably in the twilight of his career and says he would consider continuing his football if he were to leave Stamford Bridge – but not at any other Premier League club
The Premier League veteran is aware of the challenge that faces him as he continues to age on the wrong side of 30, but John Terry is determined to continue at Chelsea FC for a further two years at minimum.
The legendary Blues captain has, once again, only been given a one-year deal, and will have to prove himself in the coming season to show the manager and the club that he deserves to have a position in the squad for the following season.
Terry wants to continue at Chelsea FC for two more seasons
As the only remaining member of the side that manager Jos Mourinho coached to the Premier League title in 2004-05 when he first arrived at the club, John Terry says he owes a lot to the ‘father figure’ in his career, and is determined to continue working to the best of his ability for him.
The former England captain is quoted by British newspaper Mail Online as saying: “If I felt Chelsea were going to release me or thought I had nothing else to give but I thought I could, then of course I would still want to continue to play. But that would not be in the Premier League, for sure.”
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Terry wants two more years (and there’s NO WAY he’ll follow Lampard and Cech out the door) http://t.co/Wcgou5gv2L pic.twitter.com/TSnsQaUn5J
a MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) July 26, 2015
Upon being asked how long he thought he could continue at the club, Terry’s response was firm: “I am 35 at Christmas a so a couple of years.
“If I can keep my form, I am in the side. But if I don’t keep my form he will have no qualms about taking me out and putting someone else in. He has been superb to me. I will give him everything. And he has been a father figure in my career so I owe him an awful lot.
“I am always looking ahead. These past five, six years, I haven’t thought it would be my last pre-season. Every summer I work more or less every day to give myself the best chance.”
Chelsea FC need to hang on to John Terry
Even if Terry’s decline were to start this season, the club need to hang on to their talisman for the coming years – if only in a coaching capacity rather than as a part of the first-team playing squad. This is particularly important given the young defenders on the club’s books – the likes of Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen in particular – who could still greatly benefit from his presence.
For the moment, John Terry is arguably the club’s best defender and one of the most crucial members of the team. Even if Chelsea FC do sign John Stones this summer, it is more likely that he will partner the 34-year-old rather than replace him at the heart of the team’s defence.
As the only player to rise through the club’s academy ranks and establish himself in the first team for over a decade, Blues’ fans will be hoping that their captain, leader, legend stays long enough to retire at the club.