John Terry is a Chelsea legend – but he admits the closest he came to leaving Stamford Bridge was for Huddersfield Town!
Town, then under the management of Steve Bruce 15 years ago, had agreed a deal for the teenager who was to go on to became one of England’s finest centre-backs.
Terry, now 34, was on loan at Nottingham Forest, however, and he played so well that Chelsea had a change of heart and decided they didn’t want to sell.
The details are revealed in an interview between Terry and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher in the Daily Mail.
The article appears under the banner headline: City bid £29m but the closest I came to leaving was for . . . Huddersfield!
Carragher asks: “Do you look at your loan spell at Nottingham Forest in April 2000 with any regret? You played six games for someone else other than Chelsea. If it hadn’t been for those games, you could have been like a Maldini, Baresi, Giggs, Carragher! You know, one-club men.”
Terry laughed as he answered: “It’s a funny story actually. Chelsea wanted to sell me then. They had agreed a deal with Huddersfield.
“After my loan at Forest, I was supposed to go to Huddersfield. Steve Bruce was their manager. Gianluca Vialli was manager here and he knew David Platt at Forest.
“But I did well in those games. I started five and came on in the other. Chelsea wanted more money then decided they didn’t want to sell as I’d done well.
“I came back and got on the bench for the FA Cup final.”
Terry goes on to say he’s never thought about leaving since, even though Manchester City offered £29m in 2009. Chelsea refused the offer, and that was that.
