John Terry will remain Chelsea’s captain for the foreseeable future, but his time at the club is running out.
Terry’s contract expires at the end of the 2013-14 season, and Chelsea has decided against offering its field marshall a new deal, according to the Mirror.
“The Blues board are determined to sweep away the club’s old guard and have decided the skipper no longer forms part of their long-term plans,” the report says. “The decision has been taken as much for concerns over Terry’s fitness as the controversy which sees him serving a four-match ban for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.”
Terry, 31, has spent his entire professional career at Chelsea. He made his debut in 1998 and became a first-team regular in the 2000-01 season. He was named club captain in 2004 and has led Chelsea through the most successful period in its history.
Terry has been among the best defenders in the world for much of his career. He has won 13 major trophies with Chelsea and played 78 games for England before retiring from the national team in September.
But he has started to show signs of decline, as age and injuries chip away at his high performance standards. That, combined with a number of on and off-field scandals could cost him a chance to finish his career at Chelsea.
Terry will be 33-years-old when his contract expires. There will undoubtedly be a number of teams interested in signing the veteran defender — either as a free agent or at a discount price — before he retires.
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Photo via Facebook/John Terry ” Captain,Leader, Legend”
