Source: SKY_Sports
JT steps up
John Terry would have taken a step back in his career if he had accepted a move to Manchester City, according to Jason Cundy.
Terry has been the subject of much transfer speculation after Manchester City made a reported £35 million bid for his services at the start of the transfer window.
But the England captain broke his ominous silence regarding a possible move on Sunday when he revealed he had no intentions of swapping Stamford Bridge for Eastlands, and Cundy revealed he was delighted with the news.
"I'm relieved," he told Sky Sports News. "There's always a fear when you're talking the kind of money that we're talking - £40-50 million for a defender and (wages) rumoured to be around £250,000 - those sorts of figures get deals done.
"But thankfully for Chelsea and the fans and everyone connected to the club he has decided that that is not the way forward.
"It is a sensible move because it would have been a step backwards in his career. Manchester City have aspirations of playing Champions League football but I think they are a long way off. He has made the right decisions for his career and himself."
Contract
It has been suggested that the England skipper had been using City's interest in him to try and lever a better contract for himself, however Cundy believes Terry was simply seeking answers regarding the future of the West London club.
"With his situation you have to look at everything and not be blinkered about it," he said. "He's skipper of the side and I think he wanted assurances about the sort of players they were looking to sign and those they wanted to keep.
"He just wanted to knows that Chelsea were still in the market and still looking to strengthen. We've got a very good squad and I don't think there is a great deal wrong with it. We might need a creative midfielder and another front man, but other than that I think the squad at Chelsea is pretty strong.
"I think he did the right thing. He didn't court this attention, Man City were the ones who were interested in him and I think his silence proved to be very clever in the end."
Impact
Terry has often been described as 'Mr Chelsea' and Cundy admitted that the impact of any departure would have been far reaching for the Blues.
He added: "You cannot underestimate what John Terry is to Chelsea football club. Many people say he is irreplaceable - no player is irreplaceable, but having come through the youth team he is a symbol of the club.
"I've seen Chelsea play without John Terry and they are not the same. The way he organises, his influence within the dressing room, the influence he has with the manager and the owner - there is so much more to John Terry than just the defender, and he represents everything that is good about Chelsea."
