TERRY SNUB
No new Villa deal so he quits, while Grealish may have to be sold
JOHN TERRY has left Aston Villa without the club making an offer for him to extend his oneseason stay. The 37-year-old was hurt at missing out on promotion in the Championship play- off final to Fulham last Saturday but was fully prepared to see out the job he had started by spending another season trying to drive Villa back into the Premier League.
However, Sportsmail understands the club were not forthcoming with an offer to extend his £6million-a-year contract and Terry has taken a decision to explore other options.
His departure comes amid a backdrop of expected swingeing cuts at Villa, who need to plug a £45m black hole to avoid Financial Fair Play sanctions, with an estimated £11m drop in parachute payments taking effect.
In a huge blow to the club’s fanbase their highly-rated young midfielder Jack Grealish, 22, will also be sold to offset the cost of missing out on promotion.
Owner Tony Xia said: ‘We are all aware that we will face severe FFP challenges next season. I am an Aston Villa fan. But I am also a businessman. Under the current circumstances, I think the club needs to rethink not only the past two years but also the past 10 years. Villa needs to be a sustainable football club. We have been heavily investing for the past two seasons. However, the loss on Saturday means that we need to change a lot of things.’
Terry joined Villa on a one-year deal last summer after leaving Chelsea and was appointed captain. He enjoyed a strong relationship with manager Steve Bruce and his teammates and the last of his 36 appearances came in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Fulham.
‘I will look back on my time here and think about how close we were to reaching our goal,’ 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 per cent belongs.’
Terry has interest from the US and China as well as clubs here and in Europe, but was ready to re-commit to Villa’s cause. It is also understood that talk of a clause being inserted in any contract excluding him for selection against Chelsea was also unfounded.
Terry’s exit is likely to be the first of a busy summer at Villa Park. Under new FFP regulations agreed in November 2014, Championship clubs are not permitted to lose more than £39m over a three-season period.
Xia, who bought the club in June 2016, has spent a large amount in his two years at the club, with Scott Hogan, Ross McCormack and Jonathan Kodjia all joining for fees in excess of £10m. The future of Bruce is also uncertain.
The sale of Grealish is the obvious solution. He was outstanding against Fulham in a display that underlined the growing consensus that he is fulfilling his early promise, and might have persuaded those Premier League clubs monitoring his progress to make bids. Leicester, Everton and West Ham are all keeping a keen eye on him.
Given Villa’s urgent need to raise funds and Grealish’s talent being worthy of the top flight, a transfer would make sense. He is deeply attached to the club he has supported all his life and was said to be inconsolable after Saturday’s defeat. It is understood Villa would not sell for £25m, though, as they consider his value to be significantly higher. He has two years left on his contract.