Source: Telegraph
John Terry predicts a Roman Abramovich spending spree
He says club owner Roman Abramovich has decided to plunge back into the transfer market in a dramatic way this summer.[LNB]The captain's comments are not just wishful thinking either; Terry has been in discussions with Abramovich who, he revealed, has been more heavily involved in the club for the second half of this season than in the previous couple of years.[LNB] Related ArticlesTop 10 Cup final goalsChelsea 2 Everton 1: Match reportFA Cup ticket quota 'a disgrace'Sport on televisionChelsea to miss out on Franck Ribery as Real Madrid raise the stakesFA Cup final 2009: Frank Lampard insists Chelsea do not need radical overhaul this summer"Over the last six months, he's been busy," Terry said of the Russian billionaire. "The previous six months after the Champions League, he was away quite a lot. But, of late, he's been here wanting to know what's happening at the training ground again.[LNB]"I think we'll see Chelsea back and competing for the top players – the likes of Ribery, David Villa. These are the kind of players we want to attract to Chelsea. We need those kind of players to strengthen the side and, at the same time, we need to keep hold of lads like Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, who are up for contract talks."[LNB]The trio are all hoping to negotiate new deals. Drogba and Joe Cole have just one year left on their contracts – the latter is far more likely to be made an offer – while Ashley Cole has two years left. Michael Ballack has taken up the option of another 12 months at Stamford Bridge while John Obi Mikel wants an improved contract.[LNB]Terry said he did not necessarily expect Villa or Ribery to be signed, but added they were the type of players the club should be after: "I think there will be many players we'll be in for in the summer. We need to show people and let them know that, yes, Chelsea are back." [LNB]Terry said he expected "one or two changes" with players leaving "but the backbone of the side needs to stay as it is". He also echoed Guus Hiddink's demand for managerial continuity after so much prolonged upheaval. "It's important we get a settled manager now for a couple of years, a settled team," Terry said. [LNB]He also revealed that he had spoken to Jose Mourinho on Friday after Claude Makelele claimed, in his autobiography Tout Simplement, that the defender had fallen out with the manager because he was not being played often enough and that he had threatened to put in a transfer request. Makelele stated that this had helped Abramovich decide it was time to get rid of Mourinho.[LNB]"Funnily enough, Mourinho called me yesterday and we spoke about it," Terry said of Makelele's book. "It's bizarre, actually, because he knows the real truth and, if anything, I was one of three players to be phoning Roman at 1am or 2am the night I heard Mourinho had been sacked to keep him on. Speaking to [chief executive] Peter Kenyon, speaking to Roman, speaking to Eugene [Tenenbaum, a Chelsea director] and hoping we could keep him. Myself, Lamps and Didier were all fighting to keep him. So it's bizarre where it's come from. I spoke with him [Mourinho] today and he's totally fine with it. "[LNB]While insisting that he did not have any say in Mourinho's departure – "If I had that much power, I would have changed an awful lot of things at this football club an awfully long time ago" – Terry added that Hiddink's time at Chelsea had shown that certain things needed to be improved upon. "Just little things that will make Chelsea Football Club better," Terry said.[LNB]He also confirmed that Hiddink would continue to have a role, albeit an informal one. "I think he'll have a big input, and a sit down with Roman Abramovich. They're very close anyway. He'll certainly tell Roman exactly what he feels, and rightly so. Hopefully those bad things at the football club will change but, as I say, it's definitely not 'goodbye' to Guus. It's the start of something."[LNB][LNB]