John Terry has signed a one-year contract extension with Chelsea that will tie him to the west London club until 2016 and ends speculation surrounding the captain’s future.
The veteran centre-back has been in excellent form this season, helping the Blues in their Premier League title bid and scoring in the victorious Capital One Cup final, but had just a couple of months remaining on his old deal.
Chelsea, though, were keen to avoid a repeat of the saga that saw Frank Lampard eventually join title rivals Manchester City and have tied up Terry’s short-term future, with the 34-year-old thrilled to be staying at Stamford Bridge.
“I’m delighted to have signed an extension to my contract with Chelsea,” Terry told the club’s official website.
“After adding another major trophy to my collection this month I hope myself, the players and manager can continue to bring success to our club.
“Playing for this great club makes me so proud. And as always I would like to thank the fans who have continually supported me.”
Manager Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, was full of praise for the veteran skipper and says the contract offer, rather than being a token reward for his service to Chelsea, shows that he is still playing at a high level.
“This new contract is not to say ‘thank you very much'; it is because John continues to perform,” the Portuguese explained.
“He is a top defender. I am happy that he completely deserves this new contract after a season where he has already played 40 matches.”
Terry made his debut for Chelsea in 1998 and has gone on to make 661 appearances for the club, with his goal and man-of-the-match display against Tottenham at Wembley sealing a 13th major honour with the Blue