John Terry informed Aston Villa he wants one more season
By Josh Tonti
A few days late, but The Mirror reports John Terry has informed Steve Bruce he wants to play one more season at Aston Villa.
Per report, Aston Villa captain John Terry has informed club management that he would like to play one more season, even if it happened to intersect with his beloved Chelsea FC. Terry, 37, signed a one-year deal with the claret and blues last summer after a period of recruitment.
Terry earns a good salary at Villa, and has so far deserved every penny of it after a tremendous season, one injured ankle aside. But it’s not wages that enticed him entirely to join the club in the first place. For one, he is set to receive a huge bonus, perhaps upwards of £5 million, should Aston Villa return to the Premier League. Secondly, his excellent rapport with Steve Bruce and chance to drop down a level (thus, not suiting up against Chelsea) enticed the former England center back.
More from Claret Villans
- Aston Villa dismiss Everton for first win of Premier League season
- Tyrone Mings injured in Aston Villa’s season-opening 5-1 defeat
- Aston Villa draw Hibernian or FC Luzern for Europa Conference League play-off
- Aston Villa sign winger Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen
- Aston Villa close in on deal to sign Pau Torres from Villareal
As with seemingly all decisions this coming summer, much depends upon which league Aston Villa will be competing in next season. A third season running in the Championship means Villa have to cut spending, meaning the club will have to part ways with Terry. A young combination of Easah Suliman, Mitch Clark and Jacob Bedeau offers a chance to start anew at the center back position.
However, the interesting caveat is that he welcomes a chance to play in the Premier League once more. The big hold-up last summer was that Terry did not want to play against Chelsea in any capacity. He rejected offers from Swansea City, West Bromwich Albion, among others because of this.
It is said that Steve Bruce would welcome his club captain back with open arms. Could John Terry still compete in the Premier League at a high level aged 38? If this season is any indication, the answer is probably yes. Though he’s slowed down in recent weeks (a trend definitely worth monitoring), Terry has been incredible most of the season. His aerial ability, defending and positional sense is a real coup for a club looking to partner the equally-impressive James Chester.
Oh, and he has done it all with mid-week clashes for much of the season.
Still, I suspect a left-footed central defender to be among the club’s priorities this season. Someone to rotate with the pair, develop, and offer 3-back looks.