Bournemouth are considering a loan move this month for the out-of-favour Chelsea captain John Terry, a deal that would surely signal the end of his association with the club he has served for 22 years but could extend his career in the Premier League beyond this season.
Eddie Howe has lost the on-loan Chelsea defender Nathan Ake, who returned to his parent club over the weekend when they exercised a recall option over the 21-year-old. Signing Terry until the end of the season would give Howe’s team experience although there would first be major issues to overcome on the player’s side.
Terry made his debut at Chelsea aged 17 in November 1998 having joined from West Ham’s youth system at the age of 14. Apart from one loan at Nottingham Forest when he was 19 he has played his entire senior career at the club. Terry is very keen to be part of Chelsea’s fifth Premier League title victory, if the club do prevail in May.
However, how much he would play in the second half of the season remains a doubt. He is currently suspended following his red card against Peterborough in the FA Cup third round, which will stand after a failed appeal, and beyond that the future looks bleak.
In Antonio Conte’s thinking, Terry would appear to be behind the first choice back three of Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta for a place in the starting line-up as well as Kurt Zouma and presumably now Ake, who has ten league appearances this season to Terry’s five.
Having breathed new life in to Jack Wilshere’s career, Terry may feel that Bournemouth can prolong his and potentially lead to another contract with the club when his existing one-year deal expires at the end of June. The 36-year-old did say last season when he thought that he would not be offered a new deal that it was “not going to be a fairytale” – and that he would play for another club instead of retiring at Chelsea.
Ake has figured centre-back for Bournemouth, although he is able to play at full-back as well and in midfield. It is in the centre of defence that Howe will most keenly feel the absence of the young Dutchman who had formed a partnership with Steve Cook having won a place in the starting XI in mid-November.
Terry will not be available for Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Leicester City on Saturday after the club’s appeal against the red card he received against Peterborough was rejected.
An Independent Regulatory Commission decided that Terry’s dismissal for a foul on Lee Angol in Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round victory was correct and he will serve an immediate one-game ban.
Chelsea head coach Conte backed Terry by claiming his challenge did not merit a red card and that Branislav Ivanovic was covering, but referee Kevin Friend was judged to have got his decision correct.
Terry’s absence is not a big blow for Conte, as the former England international has not even been on the substitutes’ bench in the Premier League in recent weeks but the appeal was another example of the togetherness the former Juventus and Italy manager has been promoting.
Meanwhile, Chelsea could get the green light to redevelop Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night when their planning application for a 60,000-seater stadium is presented to Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
The planning and development control committee of Hammersmith and Fulham Council have a meeting scheduled for 7pm on Wednesday and the council has already recommended the application is approved.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is expected to personally fund the £500million project that would most likely require the club to move out of Stamford Bridge for at least three seasons while work takes place.
The Blues have already looked into moving into Wembley after Tottenham Hotspur leave in 2018 and have also considered Twickenham as an alternative temporary home.
One of the biggest problems facing Chelsea’s planned redevelopment of Stamford Bridge is the proximity of the underground and overground railway lines with very little extra land available. Chelsea plan to create more space and increase their capacity by excavating down into the ground.
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