John Terry to leave Chelsea at the end of the season

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John Terry to leave Chelsea at the end of the season

LONDON - Chelsea captain John Terry will leave the Premier League champions at the end of the season after the club he has served since the age of 14 told him it would not be renewing his contract.

The 35-year-old central defender, the most successful captain in Chelsea’s history, was informed about the decision before last week’s 1-0 league win over Arsenal.

“I was in last week before the Arsenal game and it (my contract) is not going to be extended,” he said. “It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to retire at Chelsea.

“Ideally I would have loved to stay, but the club’s moving in a different direction. I needed to know now, like I have done every January, and sometimes it takes a couple of months to get done. Unfortunately, it was a ‘no’.”

Terry has been offered a faint glimmer of hope about his future at Stamford Bridge, where Dutchman Guus Hiddink has taken over as interim coach until the end of the season, following the firing of Jose Mourinho last December.

“They said that when the new manager comes in, things might change. It’s a ‘no’ at the minute,” Terry said. “It took me a couple of days to get over it.”

Chelsea said in a statement that there was still some chance he could be at the west London club next season.

“John was advised that while no new deal was currently on the table, that situation could change in the coming months,” the Chelsea statement said. “He is a fantastic servant of Chelsea Football Club and a superb captain and, as such, the club will keep the channels of dialogue open.”

Having joined the youth ranks and then made his senior debut in 1998, Terry was appointed club captain in 2004.

His physical presence, anticipation and leadership qualities made him the outstanding figure in Chelsea’s defense as the club enjoyed a run of trophy success. ?

Having made 696 appearances for the Blues, Terry’s next destination is likely to be abroad.

“I couldn’t play for another Premier League club. It will be elsewhere for sure,” he said. “I don’t know where and I leave that to the people in charge.”

Despite the lack of a fairytale ending, Terry wished the team well for the future.

“The club will move on, no player is ever bigger than the club,” he said. “No doubt they’ll sign one or two great center-backs.

“I want to come back as a Chelsea supporter in years to come with my kids and see the team doing great. Unfortunately that’s not going to be with me, but I want to see the team do well.”? AP
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