HUGHES ON TERRY’S TAIL
Stoke boss was close to signing defender
MARK HUGHES has revealed he tried to sign John Terry earlier this season.
The former England captain, 36, is expected to bring the curtain down on his glorious career with Chelsea this summer after 20 years at the club.
Stoke boss Hughes was a team-mate of Terry’s when the young defender was coming through the ranks.
And he admits he tried his luck to sign Terry at the end of December when Stoke lost 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.
“I know John – I played with him when he was just starting – and it was a conversation after the Chelsea game in terms of what he’s going to do,” said Hughes ahead of today’s home clash with the leaders.
“You’d imagine at his stage of his career he’s looking to have one or two seasons where he’s playing regularly, because that’s the key for him.
“So you look for opportunities that will give him that.”
Hughes (below) accepts his chances of getting Terry are over but admits the prospect of signing on-loan Porto defender Bruno Martins Indi on a permanent deal more than compensates.
“We’ve gone a long way down the line with Bruno and when you’re contracting players, that really impacts on whether you’re going to pursue anybody else,” he said.
“It’s more dependent on that really.”
Hughes has been impressed with the partnership forged between Ryan Shawcross and Martins Indi and Stoke have agreed a fee of £8.7m to make the loan permanent.
“At the moment our focus is trying to get Bruno signed and sealed,” he added.
Cliff
“There’s an agreement in terms of the fee. There’s the will and hope from all sides to get it done.” Hughes believes Chelsea – 10 points clear with 11 games left – have already wrapped up the title. But he reckons their nearest rivals’ Champions League exits means they face a battle to win the Double, with Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City also in the FA Cup semi-finals. “If they fall off the edge of a cliff, there are good teams waiting to capitalise, but I don’t see it happening,” he said. “The Double? Maybe that has changed a bit because all the other teams haven’t got Europe now either.”