John Terry Reportedly to Be Offered New Chelsea Deal by Jose Mourinho

Chelsea defender John Terry is on the verge of being offered a new contract by Jose Mourinho, according to Jack Wilson of the Daily Star.

Chelsea left it until the end of last season before renewing Frank Lampard's contract, but Mourinho insists Terry need not worry about his future. Wilson provides the quotes:

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I think he always has a future the way he is playing—he has a future in here (at Chelsea), in China, or wherever he wants to have a future.

[...]

He is a very good player and very good players have no problems with their contracts.

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Terry is a legend at Stamford Bridge. He's been with the club since 1995, making his first senior appearance in 1998, and looks set to stay following Wilson's report that Mourinho is ready to extend his current deal.

He struggled to get a regular run in the Chelsea team under interim manager Rafa Benitez last season, but he has been ever-present in defence under Mourinho, grabbing his first goal of the season to earn a 1-1 draw against Spurs at the weekend.

Terry has never been short of ability. He represented England 78 times, taking over captaincy from David Beckham before announcing his international retirement, and has been a key figure in Chelsea’s march to three Premier League crowns.

But his highly publicised off-field issues leave his manager in a slight predicament. Is it really worth Chelsea keeping a 32-year-old defender on their books, even if he is arguably still their strongest defender alongside Gary Cahill?

Much of that will depend on the form of David Luiz and Branislav Ivanovic. Luiz is an exciting player, but it has often appeared he's never far from a mistake, particularly under old boss Roberto Di Matteo. Ivanovic, meanwhile, has settled in at right-back to allow his attacking prowess to shine.

Terry has courted controversy in the past, at times hindering his own Chelsea career. He allegedly had an affair with the former girlfriend of his then-friend Wayne Bridge, and he was banned for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. The former incident led to Terry losing his England captaincy, per John Ashdown of The Guardian.

That race row also rocked the national football team, who could no longer rely on Terry and Anton's brother, Rio, as centre-back partners.

If Mourinho can make sure Terry stays on the back pages of the newspaper, the defender's talent on a football field is worth keeping. Any more misdemeanours, however, and it might be worth reconsidering that contract offer.