JOHN TERRY’S STINT with Aston Villa is over after the club fell short in their bid to return to the Premier League.
The Midlands club confirmed this afternoon that the former England captain would not be signing a renewal of his one-year deal in Birmingham.
The 37-year-old is believed to be sought-after in China and the United States, and Villa signalled that they would be open to facilitating Terry’s wish that he would not play against his former club Chelsea if promotion was achieved.
However, Saturday’s play-off final defeat put an end to that dilemma as Villa instead move to cut their cloth to measure for another year in the second tier.
“I’m very proud to have had the opportunity to play and captain this great and huge club,” said Terry.
“I have given my everything this year both on and off the pitch and I’m still hurting today that we never managed to get back to the Premier League, where this club 100% belongs.”
A statement from club owner Tony Xia earlier on Wednesday hinted at imminent changes, as he told supporters Villa “will face severe FFP [Financial Fair Play] challenges next season”. And it will come as a surprise to few that Terry, whose contract was reportedly worth £80,000 per week, is the first to move on.
