After suffering a heartbreak at Wembley from the hands of Fulham, Aston Villa suffered another body blow when their club captain and Chelsea legend John Terry decided not to extend his contract with the club after spending one year at Villa Park. Their hopes of keeping the defender were dealt a major blow after their narrow defeat in the playoff finals.
Terry had previously indicated that if Villa qualified for the Premier League, he would have signed a new contract with a clause in his contract which would have allowed him not to play against Chelsea.
Their manager Steve Bruce earlier stated that he would like to have him for another year but extending his stay wasn’t in his hands. Aston Villa released a statement on their official website which stated,”Aston Villa can confirm the club will part company with John Terry.”
“We would like to place on record our most sincere thanks for the effort and professionalism he showed with us last season.”
“John is a true leader and was everything and more that we hoped. Hugely popular and influential in the dressing room, he played a real captain’s role in creating the incredible bond the players shared with our supporters, and vice-versa.”
“We hope he looks back on his time with Villa fondly and we wish him the very best as his career moves forward.”
Terry was instrumental in Villa’s push towards Premier league football. The former English international made 36 appearances in all competitions and showed the world that even at 37, he was good enough to play week in week out. The defender might not have been at his imperious best but having a player of his calibre in the dressing room and pitch would have certainly impacted Villa in a positive way.
It remains to be seen what the future beholds for the former English international as he has yet not decided to hang up his boots, so we might still see him on a football field. A move to the MLS or China seems logical at the moment but from the evidence he presented at Aston Villa, he can probably still turn out for another Championship side.
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With Frank Lampard being revealed as the new Derby County manager, one cannot count out a Chelsea reunion at Pride Park. However, his wages are certainly going to be a big issue for the Rams and only time will tell what the future holds for the player.
