Chelsea extending John Terry is bad for the club’s long-term future
Chelsea will benefit on the pitch from John Terry’s presence next season, but they’ve only worsened the inevitable public relations nightmare
Chelsea have offered John Terry a new one-year-contract to stay at Stamford Bridge much to the delight of the club’s fan base. While this move will help the club on the pitch next season, it’s going to worsen the inevitable separation between Terry and the club.
Regular readers know that I’m not exactly a John Terry fan. I find him to be arrogant on the pitch and his behavior off the field of play has largely been deplorable. There’s no reason to recount all that sordid history here, but I must admit my “bias” before moving on.
Despite my dislike for the Chelsea captain, I still can recognize that he still has something to offer the club on the pitch. That’s why I can understand why the Chelsea powers-that-be have chosen to offer him a lifeline to play one more season at Stamford Bridge. It’s a move that is likely going to help Antonio Conte’s on-field product during his first season as the club’s manager.
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Unfortunately for Chelsea, the move is only positive as a one-year stopgap. It will help Conte’s transition year at the club, but it’s going to come back to bite the current Italy manager after this season. Those who think that Terry is going to go quietly into the night next summer are absolutely fooling themselves.
Sure, Terry will appear to graciously accept this new contract and will say all the right things when the press quizzes him regarding his feelings for the club. He’ll make some shady references towards being unhappy with the amount of time it took the club to offer him the new deal, but he’ll quickly follow that up with a description of how pleased he is to remain at the club.
That’s a public relations win overall for Chelsea, but the tricky stuff is what happens next. At best, Terry provides Conte with a reliable centre-back who can play significant minutes at a high level. Even the most optimistic Terry fan has to acknowledge that he’s unlikely to be a first-choice player for Conte in the club’s biggest matches. Do we really believe Terry will accept that sort of diminished role?
I don’t, but even if you do believe he can handle being a back-up, that’s not the end of the potential trouble with Terry. No matter how much he plays this season, Chelsea are going to find themselves right back in the same contract conundrum as next season draws to a conclusion. This time, Terry will be a year older (and his skills presumably a year more in decline), but he’ll have the experience of waiting Chelsea out.
No matter how poorly he plays, a big part of him is going to believe that if he waits around in silence he can force the club’s hand once again. It will be a painful battle of wills between Terry and Chelsea ownership all over again next season.
Related Story: John Terry's Chelsea end is sweet justice
Chelsea fans can rejoice at the thought of John Terry suiting up for the club again, but they should be prepared for an even uglier divorce next season compared to what they would have witnessed this year.