John Terry will get Chelsea contract extension, José Mourinho confirms

 

 Chelsea 

Mourinho: I can guarantee Terry will be at Chelsea next season 
• Chelsea captain’s current contract is due to expire this summer 
• Manager wants to keep Petr Cech, and says he would cost clubs ‘huge money’ 
• Terry: I’m fighting for my first-team future at Chelsea

José Mourinho has guaranteed John Terry will be a Chelsea player again next season but has admitted Petr Cech “is not a guy to be persuaded” and will make his own decision over whether to remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer.

Terry is expected to maintain his ever-present record for Chelsea in the Premier League this season by leading out the leaders at West Ham on Wednesday night having scored and claimed the man of the match award in the Capital One Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur. The 34-year-old is out of contract on 1 July and – while he expects to be formally offered a new one-year deal – suggested in the wake of the win at Wembley that the fact he is “fighting” for his future at the clubhas coaxed the best out of him.

Mourinho expects that uncertainty to be resolved before the end of the current campaign. “Yes, it will be before the end of the season for sure,” said the Chelsea manager. “What I can guarantee is he will be a Chelsea player next season. I can guarantee that. To be able to guarantee that, it’s because I know what my board tell me and what the player tells me. No doubts he is going to get his contract – no doubts.” Asked if the situation was that terms had been agreed in principle but nothing signed, he added: “Yes, I think it’s around that.”

The situation is arguably more complicated with Cech, who has 15 months still to run on his current deal but has grown frustrated at playing second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois over much of the campaign. Mourinho selected the older man at Wembley, where he claimed his 12th major honour since joining from Rennes in 2004, but has made it clear that the young Belgian is his first-choice and represents the future of this team.

Chelsea are keen to retain Cech next season at least but are aware that the player may agitate for a move and regular first-team football, prompting them to draw up contingency plans for potential replacements with the likes of Rob Green, John Ruddy and Craig Gordon under scrutiny. There is a realism to their approach with the 32-year-old. “I don’t think Petr is a guy to be persuaded,” said Mourinho. “He doesn’t let anyone persuade him. He will make his decision and when he makes that decision I think he’s very mature, making what he feels is the best decision for him and his future.

“I will just wait, wishing his decision is to stay. That’s my desire. I would like him very, very much to stay. But I don’t waste my time trying to persuade him because it’s just his decision. If he tells me he wants to leave I will tell him my opinion, that he is one of the three best goalkeepers in the world, so [it would take] huge money [to sign him].” The likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco could potentially test the size of the fee it would take to prise the Czech international away.

Mourinho admitted replacing such club stalwarts in the long-term, and Terry in particular, represents a considerable challenge. “Every one of these big guys is difficult to replace, but at the same time you still have the player and he is still an important player. You have to start thinking: ’What next?’” he added. “That’s the best way to do things. Sometimes you have the solution just around the corner. Sometimes you don’t have it and you have to look outside your club.

“But this is a process that we can take our time over because John is proving again this season that he’s a player for years. When I came back last year he was coming from a difficult period, but last season he was very good. This season, even better than last season. So, normally, he has time to enjoy his football with us. At the same time, he gives us time to think about what will happen next.”