Terry commits to Blues
England captain John Terry is contracted to Chelsea until 2012
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Friday, 27, Jul 2007 10:18
Chelsea captain John Terry has ended speculation on his future by signing a new five-year contract, the club has announced.
The England captain's current deal had been due to expire in two years' time, but he is now contracted to the FA Cup holders until 2012.
Protracted talks between Chelsea and Terry are believed to have been ongoing for the past year, with reports suggesting the centre-back had demanded a ten-year deal.
Others claimed that the defender wanted at least parity with Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko – both of whom have flatted to deceive since joining in high profile moves last summer – who reportedly earn in excess of £130,000 per week.
But Terry has seen fit to commit to Jose Mourinho's team by confirming his extended deal at the club's Cobham training ground earlier today.
"I'm really happy this has now been concluded. There has been a lot of speculation but these things take time and I never had doubts that I wanted to stay at Chelsea and that the club wanted me to stay," he said.
"I hope the fans can see that we are all trying to build something special here, both for now and for the future, and I want to be a part of that. I have been at Chelsea my whole career and have the privilege of being captain.
"Now it's time to look forward to the new season which we are all very confident about."
Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon dubbed Terry's decision an "important day for Chelsea".
"This was the right deal for us and for John," he explained. "As a club we are committed to try and keep our players together on long-term deals and this was a natural progression from last season when other players also committed themselves for the long-term.
"As captain, John is clearly a key player for Chelsea and also a great symbol of the club so naturally we are pleased this has been agreed."
Terry, a product of the west Londoners' youth system, has made 214 appearances for Chelsea and lifted the Premiership trophy in successive seasons under Mourinho in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
His importance to the team was underlined last season when his injury-enforced absence saw the normally watertight Chelsea defence leak goals and drop points, effectively handing the title to Manchester United.
Chelsea will now focus on securing a new deal with Terry's England colleague Frank Lampard after contract talks with the midfielder, whose current deal has two years left to run, stalled.