Following Aston Villa’s failure to renew John Terry’s contract at the end of last season, it didn’t seem like the former Chelsea captain was looking to join a new club but shock rumours linking him to Spartak Moscow started to gather pace. Terry has since put an end to the transfer talk this week by admitting that the move wasn’t ideal for him and his family.
“Spartak are an ambitious club and I have been very impressed with their professionalism,” Terry claimed.
“But after assessing this move with my family, we’ve decided this is not the right move for ourselves at this time.”
After spending over 25 years in English football, a move to Russia would definitely be a step outside Terry’s comfort zone and it certainly isn’t a well-trodden path for British players. The general reaction to the news was one of confusion, not just because it involved a move outside the UK but because of the location.
Spartak Moscow aren’t a bad football team and they regularly compete in either the Europa League or the Champions League but they are by no means considered as a world heavyweight and aren’t necessarily a club you could imagine John Terry lining up for.
There was a lot of speculation around whether the five-time Premier League champion would join his former team-mate and good friend Frank Lampard at Derby but it seems that neither Blues legend is particularly interested in a move. Although, some sources are reporting that it could still be on the cards following the news of the broken down transfer.
Terry has always spoken of his desire to join the Chelsea backroom staff eventually but he’s showing no signs of retiring at the moment and as he’s a free agent, there’s no deadline on when he can be signed. Wherever, the 37-year-old ends up, it will most likely be in more of a ‘squad player’ role than a regular starter.
