Aston Villa might have lost two league games on the trot but they should manage to bag a place in the playoffs of the Championship this season. The Villans were cruising towards the automatic qualification spot but after their 4-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, they have struggled to keep their momentum going and faced surprising defeats at the hands of Queens Park Rangers and Bolton Wanderers.
Nonetheless, there is no denying that Steve Bruce has done an excellent job with his troops and one of the shrewd moves that the manager made last summer was signing John Terry. Terry churned a free transfer to the Villa Park from the Stamford Bridge after spending over two decades with the Blues and from the very onset, high expectations were placed on his shoulders.
The former English international didn’t disappoint as he has been one of the instrumental players in Aston Villa’s arsenal this season. He has engineered a strong camaraderie with James Chester at the heart of the defence of the Lions and more often than not, the central defensive duo have put on resilient displays and have shielded Sam Johnstone meticulously.
Terry has appeared on 28 occasions in the English second tier this season, all of which have been from the starting XI, and has scored a goal. Besides, he has made 0.9 tackle, 1.5 interceptions, 6.6 clearances and 0.8 blocks per game on an average. Bruce’s side needed a genuine leader on the pitch who could set an example for the rest of the players and Terry perfectly catered to the same.
The 37-year-old had signed a one-year contract with Aston Villa, which is impliedly set to expire at the end of the season. Intriguingly, the Birmingham Mail has reported that Terry is likely to extend his contract as he is perceived to be quite happy under the tutelage of Bruce. If Aston Villa manage to keep him in their ranks irrespective of whether they get promoted or not, it would be a galvanizing move for them.
Terry boasts of having truckloads of experience of English football under his belt and has won many elite silverwares, including 5 Premier League titles and also has a Champions League and Europa League winners’ medal to his name. Despite being on the wrong side of his thirties, he has shown this season that he still has the hunger and desire to fight and lead his teammates and Bruce is expected to leave no stone unturned to make the veteran defender sign a new deal.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored
