Will Chelsea FC Offer John Terry A New Contract?
By Lee Fraser
The number 26 at Chelsea FC is legendary, it is our Captain’s, our Leader’s, our very own Legend’s number, is it any wonder that the hashtag #CaptainLeaderLegend is used whenever describing John Terry within 140 characters on Twitter.
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John George Terry (aged 34) has been on Chelsea FC’s books for 16 years and 8 months, making 658 appearances (and counting), 527 as Captain (and counting), scoring 60 goals as a Central Defender (and counting), winning 15 trophies (and counting) and according to the stats is getting better with age.
So why is this question being asked I hear you say? Surely it’s a no brainer decision! The man bleeds Royal Blue, his past record dictates that he is treated like royalty and that he can relax and enjoy the fruits of his hard work now he’s getting on a bit. Unlike many sports in the USA, football clubs over here don’t generally have a policy of an automatic rolling 1 year contract if targets are met, maybe we should have that option built into contracts?
The simple answer is that Chelsea FC has a rigid policy that players over the age of 30 will only be offered a 1 year contract. Jose Mourinho elaborated on this when he told Dominic Fifield of The Guardian newspaper: “At Chelsea, we decided at a certain age – to provoke and stimulate the players, and make them feel the past doesn’t play a role and it’s all about the present and tomorrow – they get one year of contract. If they don’t accept they are not ready for the challenge, and we wouldn’t want them.”
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Does this policy work? Now that is open to debate!
Frank Lampard, another Chelsea FC legend, presumably was offered the same deal and chose not to fight for his place and will eventually (via some shenanigans and a season at Manchester City) end up in the MLS with Manchester City reserves, I mean New York City FC.
John Terry on the other hand decided to stay and sign a one year contract on a reduced wage and fight for his place last year. When asked to explain why he chose to stay he showed his true fighting qualities when responding in an article by Neil Ashton for The Daily Mail: “The manager came in, sat me down, and made it clear that if you work hard you will get extra years and you will play, but if not there are other players who are younger who can play and will fight for their place. This is a year roll-on. I am fighting for myself and my family, and to prove people wrong. It doesn’t come much bigger than that.”
He also proved his love for Chelsea FC as reported by Sky Sports News when adding “There are a lot more important players to sort out. Eden Hazard has just signed a new contract and, for me, that’s the most important for the club.”
So John Terry has proved he’s a fighter, but do his performances over the current season deserve another year’s contract?
Hell yeah they do!
John Terry has never been over blessed in the pace department as many rival fans will gladly tell us, but as we equally gleefully respond with a famous Chelsea FC chant:
“Double! Double Double!!
John Terry has won the Double”
(I won’t finish off the rest of the chant!)
His positional skills, reading of the game and sheer determination have been the backbone of his success, but over the last 2 seasons he has proven the old adage “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” wrong and changed his role slightly at the heart of the defence.
Instead of being the blood and guts front line soldier he has become the General marshalling the defensive lines. Instead of being the one man marking opponents Gary Cahill does that now while he sweeps up behind using his reading of the game to greater effect. Combine that subtle change with the emergence of Nemanja Matic in front of the defensive pair and Chelsea FC have recreated the formidable trio of Marcel Desailly, Ricardo Carvalho and Claude Makalele to great effect.
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The net result of all of this means that Chelsea FC have the 2nd best defensive record in the Premier League only conceding 22 goals in the 27 games played so far this season.
So he is a fighter, he is still a player most teams would sign in an instant, but as a Captain and Leader has he still got it?
Even now with his legendary status within the club he knows every single youth players names, they all have his personal mobile phone number and can call him for advice.
He still checks with the kit man pre matches to check that every player has everything laid out for them exactly as they want.
When he found out a youth team player was recovering from a long term injury and couldn’t afford a family holiday he arranged for the club’s discipline fund to pay for that holiday for the family.
When the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge issue was raised he responded to a fan’s comments on Instagram by asking for the fan’s phone number and calling him to discuss ways it could be improved from a fan’s perspective.
I think Luiz Felipe Scolari summed up John Terry perfectly in an interview with The Guardian newspaper when he said:
"“It’s fantastic for a coach to have someone like that. It’s my standard, the reference for the other players, too. When you look at some players when they get a knock they whine and complain but Terry doesn’t. The only way to stop him (playing) sometimes would be to kill him. He wants to play all the time. When we have four against four (in training), for Terry that’s a game. Two against two, for Terry that’s a game. He wants to play. He wants to show to the other players that, sometimes, we need to give more for the group. He’s a true captain.”"
The experience and leadership skills that John Terry has in abundance, money just can’t buy, and that’s why every Chelsea FC fan around the world can sleep easy safe in the knowledge that our #CaptainLeaderLegend John Terry will still be leading our team out onto the pitch next season.
Basically John Terry, like all of us is a Chelsea fan, and “gets” Chelsea FC and thoroughly deserves a new contract, so Chelsea FC and Jose Mourinho, it’s over to you.