TRANSFER NEWS:JOHN TERRY has insisted he intends to see out the rest of his career with Chelsea, and even potentially return as manager in the future, after a telephone call from Roman Abramovich convinced him he should remain at the club despite Manchester City's attempts to lure him to Eastlands.
The England captain returned with his team-mates from their pre-season tour of the United States yesterday and is now expected to open talks over an improved contract having pledged his future publicly to Chelsea.
The 28-year-old has three years to run on his contract, with his weekly wage likely to rise from €156,000 to nearer €175,000, and he has not ruled out the possibility of coaching or managing the club eventually.
“I’ve said before that’s a possibility, but I’ve still got a good few years ahead of me playing-wise,” he said.
“I was very flattered by the fact that City wanted to sign me. It’s the first time in my career someone has come in with an official bid for me. But, as a player, when you get a phone call from your own club saying that, no matter what money, they won’t sell you . . . it’s unbelievable to just sit down there and listen to it from the owner. That’s the kind of relationship you can’t buy.”
Terry subsequently met Abramovich, first in Surrey and then in Los Angeles, to gain a better insight into the Russian’s vision for the future of the club. The sight of City spending heavily did initially intrigue him, though Terry insisted he never had any intention of sacrificing Champions League football by leaving.
“I did sit down with Roman on a couple of occasions to go through everything,” said Terry. “Things go around your head, but everyone knows I love this club.”
Meanwhile, Peter Crouch’s move to Tottenham Hotspur was completed last night after intense negotiations between the clubs yesterday. Spurs were aware of Portsmouth’s precarious finances and are believed to have managed to drive down the price for the striker.
Spurs flew out to Beijing yesterday afternoon, where they will play West Ham United tomorrow in the Asia Cup, without Crouch on the plane.
Paul Hart, the Portsmouth manager, stated on Sunday a fee had been agreed – a claim the Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp, said was not true, although the two clubs later agreed a transfer fee, according to the London club.
Portsmouth are still involved in prolonged negotiations with Sulamain al-Fahim regarding the Emirates-based businessman’s buyout of the club, a process related to its difficult financial predicament which includes an outstanding loan of at least €35 million to South African bank Standard Bank that needs servicing by August.
This explains Redknapp’s bullish stance regarding the deal for Crouch, with the Spurs manager feeling comfortable enough to describe Portsmouth’s proposed €14 million fee as too much for a player aged 28.
Portsmouth had accepted a bid for that amount from Sunderland, but once it became clear Crouch had no desire to move to the north-east the club withdrew their offer and so had weakened Portsmouth’s negotiating position.
Jermain Defoe, who formed a successful strike partnership with Crouch on the south coast before he returned to Spurs in January, is keen on being reunited with the forward.
Defoe, who was wrongfully arrested yesterday and spent several hours in custody erroneously suspected of driving while disqualified, said: “If you bring someone like that into the club it is only going to help. I have always said that Crouchy is a great player and is someone who will score goals.
“I’ve played with him for a number of years and love playing with him. We’ve a lot of fantastic players at the club and I’m sure everyone will look forward to him coming in.”
Defoe believes Crouch’s aerial threat offers a different dimension. “We play a bit differently away from home and bringing Crouchy will help us. Sometimes you get difficult games and teams put you under pressure, you can’t play football and you have to go long and more direct. If you look at Crouchy’s size and presence, he allows you to do that.”
Redknapp, meanwhile, is hardly enamoured of his team taking a flight to China – a schedule which forces Spurs to prepare immediately for the West Ham match the following day. "It's not ideal but that's the game we're in now," he said. "Manchester United (have been) in the far east, Chelsea in America. It's a world game, they love their football in China and Hong Kong." GuardianService
