Where next for departing Chelsea captain John Terry?
ByPA Sport
Updated 01/02/2016 at 08:05 GMT
Chelsea captain John Terry is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season after the club decided not to renew his contract.
Chelsea captain John Terry is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season after the club decided not to renew his contract.
The 35-year-old centre-back has made 696 appearances for the Blues, winning four Premier League titles.
Terry confirmed he would not play for another team in England, having spent his entire career at the west London club, joining when 14 years old.
Here, Press Association Sport takes at look at what could be the next move for the one-time England captain.
CHINA
As skipper of the Blues, Terry already has a strong following in Asia, having embarked on his own 'Captain China Tour 2015' last summer, and was named an ambassador of football culture by the Guangzhou Football Association. Two of Terry's ex-managers are currently in charge of Chinese Super League clubs, with one-time England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson at Shanghai SIPG and Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari at Guangzhou Evergrande while Dan Petrescu, who played alongside the defender at Stamford Bridge, is in charge of Jiangsu Suning.
Former Chelsea players Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka have both had spells in the cash-rich Chinese top flight, and Terry could fancy one final pay day in a region where he already enjoys superstar status.
THE UNITED STATES
Terry revealed in an interview at the end of 2015 he could see "maybe there is a time" when he would look to go to play in America, and Major League Soccer has been installed as the early bookmakers favourite for the defender's next destination. Former Stamford Bridge team-mate Frank Lampard is currently playing with New York City FC , while Ashley Cole is another familiar face having joined Steven Gerrard, the ex-Liverpool and England midfielder, at the LA Galaxy. David Beckham is also ready to set up a new expansion franchise in Miami from 2018.
AUSTRALIA
Terry led Chelsea in a glamour friendly against Sydney FC at ANZ Stadium, which attracted a crowd of some 83,598, in June 2015. There would certainly be plenty of potential suitors to make the former England captain one of the A-League's marquee players, which this season include the likes of former Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia at Central Coast Mariners.
ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE?
It is understandable that Terry would not countenance playing for another team in England given he is a living legend at the Bridge. It would tarnish his legacy at the club. It is, therefore, highly unlikely that he would test himself elsewhere in Europe at his age. He is 35 and adapting to a new elite-level league would take time. Terry does not have time on his side, so a move to Italy, Spain or Germany seems out of the question.
ODDS
2/5 MLS;
5/1 Chinese Super League;
9/1 Australia A League;
25/1 La Liga;
25/1 Serie A;
33/1 Ligue 1;
33/1 German Bundesliga
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