John Terry: I want to play for Chelsea for three more years
John Terry will be out of contract at the end of this season, but the Blues captain believes that he can still play at the highest level for three more years.
The former England skipper said that he would be heartbroken if Chelsea do not offer him a new contract.
“While I’ve got a couple of years left, the main thing for me is to fully focus on that and give everything,” he told reporters at The London Football Awards.
“I’ve definitely got two or three years in me. I’d be gutted if it isn’t at Chelsea; I’ve said clearly I want to stay.
“As a player in your mid-30s, you get written off a little bit.
“Pretty much like the team early on in the season! We get written off and all of a sudden, a couple of wins and who knows what’s going to happen?”
The 35-year-old defender has spent almost all of his professional career at the West London club. He is one of five players to have made over 500 appearances for Chelsea and is also the club’s all-time highest scoring defender. Terry has been the Chelsea captain for more than a decade now.
Terry also revealed his future plans of becoming a coach but also admitted that it won’t be easy.
“Doing my badges has taken a bit longer than expected,” he added.
“I’ve had so many managers and learned so much it would be wasted if I don’t dip my toe in at some point in my career.”
Chelsea will play host to Paris Saint Germain for the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie. The defending Premier League champions lost 2 – 1 to Laurent Blanc’s men at Parc des Princes in the first leg. The veteran centre-back is anticipating a good game at Stamford Bridge this week.
“Those nights at the Bridge are unbelievable. They are big occasions. We have players who are hungry and have had a lot of disappointments in the competition that want to go on further, so it’s going to be a good game.
John Terry has also backed Guus Hiddink to stay at the helm of the West London club beyond this summer. According to him, the Dutch manager has proved his quality and deserves a chance to manage them.
“If he [Hiddink] stays on that will great. He’s shown he’s a top-class manager and other things may come for him.”
Chelsea drew 1 – 1 at home against Stoke City on Saturday. They are back to the top half of the Premier League table. The tenth-placed Chelsea are ten points behind the fourth spot with nine games remaining in the season. Antonio Conte is believed to be the next Chelsea boss after the end of Hiddink’s interim spell at Stamford Bridge this summer.