Chelsea have responded to John Terry’s announcement of leaving the club at he end of the season stating that they have not decided against a contract extension. Chelsea progressed through to the next round after their 5-1 humbling of MK Dons on Sunday.
After the match, Terry announced that he will be leaving the club after 18 years of service, saying that the club had decided not to renew his contract.
But Chelsea have come out and said that they haven’t slammed the door shut and have kept the dialogue of communication open. The 35-year-old had a meeting with the club regarding a contract extension where the club have accepted to have not yet offered him a new agreement but also maintain that a final decision is yet to be taken.
A spokesperson from the club spoke to ESPN FC saying, “John requested a meeting with the club the week before last”.
“In that meeting he asked about the possibility of an extension to his existing contract.”
“John was advised that while no new deal was currently on the table, that situation could change in the coming months. The club has the utmost respect for John and everything he has helped us achieve to date.”
“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.”
Terry requested for a meeting with the Blues after his agent was informed about the club’s position. But the Chelsea captain will not sign for a premier league club like ex-Teammate Frank Lampard did.
“I couldn't play for another Premier League club. It will be elsewhere for sure. I don't know where and I leave that to the people in charge of me and the clubs who make offers. It certainly won't be in the Premier League”, said the 35-year-old.
John Terry says this is his last season at Chelsea
Terry joined Chelsea’s ranks aged 14, after signing for the youth team from West Ham. And now the long-time servant of the club is set to leave after reportedly being denied a contract extension.
“My agent made the call, like we do every January. He got told over the phone, and I called to set up a meeting the following day. The club immediately set that up, which was great of them to do. I wanted to hear it face to face” John Terry said after the FA Cup victory
Terry was expectedly emotional about the decision saying “ It's not going to be a fairytale ending -- I'm not going to retire at Chelsea. It's going to be elsewhere, which it took me a couple of days to get over”.
The 5th round fixture list was announced on Sunday with Chelsea to play Manchester City on the 20th of February.
