Source: Matt Hughes (Timesonline.Co.Uk)
Chelsea have offered John Terry a new four-year contract worth £151,000 a week, which he is expected to sign before the start of the Barclays Premier League season in nine days’ time.
The Chelsea captain publicly committed his future to the club last week by rejecting the opportunity to move to Manchester City and will be rewarded with an improved deal with an additional year, tying him to Stamford Bridge until 2013.
Terry’s new deal will re-establish him as the highest-paid player at the club alongside Frank Lampard, who received a significant pay rise when he turned down the chance to join Inter Milan by signing a five-year contract with Chelsea 12 months ago.
Although structured slightly differently, the contracts of the England internationals have effectively been synchronised, with Chelsea delighted to have secured their two most influential players for the rest of their careers. The club have been given verbal assurances that they do not wish to play for anyone else.
Robinho is the only Premier League player to earn more than Terry and Lampard, by about £9,000 a week, but such a status for the pair has been hard earned despite the riches at the disposal of Roman Abramovich, the owner, with Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack top of the payroll until recently. Terry has expressed an interest in staying at Chelsea at the end of his playing career and will begin studying for his coaching badge when time permits during this season.
He signed his previous deal only after lengthy negotiations two years ago and, in ordinary circumstances, would not even begin talks on an extension until next summer, but after his decision to snub an offer of £200,000 a week for five years from City, Chelsea were happy to break from protocol. This latest deal has come together far quicker, with Terry speaking to Abramovich on the club’s pre-season tour to the United States and thrashing out the details with Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, since returning to London.
Terry’s decision to commit to Chelsea is a huge boost for Carlo Ancelotti, the new manager, but the club’s willingness to give the captain an extra year also represents vindication for the player himself. The 28-year-old has been hit by a series of back problems in recent years and there were fears that he would struggle to play on into his thirties. However, his fitness record improved last season as he started 51 matches.
Terry has been given a thorough physical evaluation by Chelsea’s medical staff this summer, which he passed with flying colours. Indeed, given the success of the holistic methods used by Bruno Di Micheli, the sports scientist who accompanied the manager from Milan, Ancelotti is confident of extending Terry’s career. Di Micheli worked in the famous Milanello lab for 25 years and played an integral part in helping players such as Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta to play until they were approaching their forties.
Chelsea continued the process of consolidating their squad yesterday when Didier Drogba signed a two-year extension, ensuring that he is contracted to the club until 2012. Florent Malouda has also signed a similar extension this summer, while talks are taking place with Ashley Cole and are about to start with Joe Cole and Salomon Kalou.
Drogba, who has scored 94 goals in 216 games for Chelsea, cited winning the Champions League as his remaining big ambition, even if he will miss the first three games of this European campaign through suspension.
“I have decided to extend my contract with Chelsea for two extra years and I am very happy and proud to continue to wear the blue of Chelsea until then,” Drogba said. “I stay because I am ambitious to pick up lots more trophies, regain the Premier League title, win cups. It’s for this that I have extended my time at Chelsea. But my No 1 objective is to win the Champions League. I am convinced that this year we can go to the end and finally lift this trophy.”
Money talkers
Barclays Premier League’s top earners (a week):
Robinho (Man City)£160,000
F Lampard (Chelsea) £151,000
J Terry (Chelsea) £151,000
E Adebayor (Man City) £140,000
C Tévez (Man City) £140,000
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