Chelsea captain John Terry enters the sunset of his storied career. His role at Stamford Bridge has diminished and speculation has begun on where he might finish out his playing days beyond the Blues.
Speaking after Chelsea’s 5-1 FA Cup win at MK Dons today, the Blues skipper told reporters that his 18-year tenure with the club will end in May.
Chelsea told him that they will not renew his contract when it expires at the end of the season.
“I was in last week before the Arsenal game, and it [my contract] is not going to be extended,” Terry said.
“It’s my last run in the FA Cup, so I want to make it a good one. It’s a big season for me and I want to push on — not just in this competition but in the Premier League as well.”
“I knew [the situation] before the Arsenal game, so mentally I’ve kind of accepted it. We just have to move on and climb the league.”
“My agent made the call, like we do every January. He got told over the phone and I called to set up a meeting the following day. The club immediately set that up, which was great of them to do. I wanted to hear it face to face.”
Terry is not retiring though.
“I’m playing great and I’ve got a couple of years to go. It’ll just be elsewhere,” the 35-year-old central defender said.
“They said that when the new manager comes in, things might change. I needed to know now like I have done every January.”
“It’s not going to be a fairytale ending — I’m not going to retire at Chelsea. It’s going to be elsewhere, which it took me a couple of days to get over.”
In December, he was asked by the Daily Mail whether or not he would play for another English side. The response John Terry gave was:
“No. No chance. No chance. America, maybe. But physically, I feel like I can still play.”
Wow, so then MLS is in play?
If Terry does go this route, it would continue a well established recent trend.
Longtime Liverpool Captain Steven Gerrard just began his L.A. Galaxy career this summer. The 37-year-old Frank Lampard, another longtime Chelsea star has moved to New York City FC. Thirty-six year old Andrea Pirlo, a former Juventus playmaker, joined Lampard in NYC. Don’t forget additional former Chelsea icons Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba. This transfer window and the last one have seen both players move to MLS and continue the retirement home motif.
Indeed, the American top flight is becoming the last stop saloon for British stars.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram