Steve Bruce pries John Terry from Chelsea, 17 years after his first attempt

Aston Villa could announce John Terry as early as Monday. Villa manager Steve Bruce will finally have the centre-back who refused his bid in 2000.

The too-good-to-check reason for John Terry’s decision is that he could not bear the thought of facing Chelsea in the Premier League. He supposedly turned down Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion to avoid the possibility of a Frank Lampard moment. It doesn’t matter if this story is true. What matters is that we all believe it and know in our hearts that it is.

Any story involving John Terry’s loyalty to Chelsea deserves the benefit of the doubt. Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce – who may be the driving force behind John Terry’s decision – knows this as well as anyone. Bruce nearly landed John Terry once before: at Huddersfield Town in 1999.

"I bid £750,000 for him, it was a lot of money for me then, and Chelsea accepted it. But the boy didn’t want to leave Stamford Bridge at the time. I was close but at the death he didn’t want to go. – The Guardian"

Steve Bruce also understands the juncture John Terry is at in the closing stages of his career. Bruce won three Premier League title and three FA Cups at Manchester United between 1990-1996, along with other silverware. He left United on a free transfer at age 35, for Birmingham City in the then-First Division. He made 84 appearances over two seasons at the lower-tier club, before his final year as a player manager at Sheffield United in the First Division.

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Bruce therefore knows from experience the physical limitations of a mid-30s player in the 46-game season of the Championship. Just as importantly, he can empathize with Terry’s transition from leading one of Europe’s top clubs to playing mid-table in a lower league.

Terry will no longer play alongside some of the world’s best players. He will no longer be surrounded by everything Roman Abramovich has bought for the club (people and facilities). The expectations surrounding the players and the club could scarcely be more different from anything Terry has known in his career.

Steve Bruce can effectively manage Terry’s training and career because he has been in this exact situation before. At the same time, he also knows that he will have a consummate professional by his side. His impression of Terry from 1999 holds true today.

"John Terry’s everything you want in a central defender, he’s a born leader. He was only a boy then but, on a cold day in January at Nottingham Forest he was just like ‘Bring it on’; he was fantastic."

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Terry will likely join Aston Villa on a one-year contract that is heavily weighted towards performance and promotion bonuses. He will meet Villa for their pre-season training camp as soon as they complete the deal.