Skipper Terry rejects Man City to stick with Chelsea
CHELSEA captain John Terry yesterday pledged his future to the club, insisting there was never any possibility he would be lured by a lucrative offer from Manchester City.
England skipper Terry broke his silence to end weeks of speculation that he was ready to halt his 14-year association with Chelsea and become ambitious City’s most high-profile signing yet.
City’s super-rich Arab owners were willing to spend £40m on signing Terry, and offered to make him the best-paid player in the Premier League with wages of around £250,000 per week.
But although Terry, 28, admitted his admiration for Eastlands manager Mark Hughes, he maintained a switch was never going to happen.
“There has been a lot of speculation recently about my future and I want to clear this up once and for all,” Terry said in a statement on the club’s website. “I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been. Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention to accept any kind of offer.
“When you are linked with any club, or with a manager who I have huge respect for, it will always make headlines but me leaving Chelsea was never a possibility.”
Terry, who is thought to have been handed a pay rise, defended his decision not to speak out earlier on the subject – a move that only fuelled widespread reports that he was contemplating leaving.
“I know there has been comment that I should have made a statement earlier,” he added. “However, throughout this period there have been numerous discussions between myself, the owner and the Chelsea board and we all agreed that the timing of any statement would suit everyone involved in those talks, not any outside influences or agendas.”
City have spent £80m this summer in a bid to gatecrash the established top four of Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. But Terry believes the future looks more promising at Stamford Bridge under new head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
“I am certain that he will take this club on to the next level,” said Terry. “Another important factor was knowing that Chelsea would be securing key current players for the long term. The strengthening of the squad around this core is crucial to pushing us onto greater success. I’m as committed as ever to helping drive Chelsea forward and I will be proud to lead the team for as long as I can.”