Shearer Says: “It speaks volumes that every manager has leaned towards Terry as their leader and captain”

Coral ambassador Alan Shearer gives us his thoughts on where John Terry’s future may lie and looks ahead to the FA Cup semi-finals

John Terry is set to leave Chelsea this summer and there is no doubt he will go down as an all-time Premier League great, as he has been superb for two decades. When Chelsea hit the big time following Roman Abramovich’s takeover, the club signed many of the best foreign imports, but John Terry was the man who kept them all together, kept the link with the fans and showed them what it meant to play for the club, he really has been Mr Chelsea for a number of years now.

When you look at the some of the best centre-halves who have played in the Premier League, he has to be in the mix when we talk about the best ever. You only have to look at his record to see he has won everything. As well as the trophies, what has really impressed me is his longevity, the way he has looked after himself, remained an excellent athlete, while he is as tough as they come.

It speaks volumes that every manager that has come into the football club over the last 10 years has leaned towards Terry as their leader and captain. That is exactly what he has been and he has played an integral part of their success in the Premier League and Europe.

I would be surprised if Terry was to stay in the Premier League given what and who he is to Chelsea. It would be very difficult to see him in a different shirt in the Premier League. My guess would be he would opt for a challenge abroad. It would not be a surprise to me if he chose to go the MLS like Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard did at the back end of their playing careers.

Unfortunately he never won anything with England, but its been the same for us all since 1966 with the national team, so that can’t be held against him. Whenever he did wear an England shirt though, he always gave the same commitment and energy as his did for Chelsea.

Like a lot of players who retire today, he will have decisions to make when he decides to hang his boots up. I am sure one of the options will be to stay in the game, which he clearly loves. Equally though, he may choose to do something completely different at this stage of his life or take some time out. I played against him at the back end of my career and he was always a tough opponent. I am sure he would make a good manager if he chose to go down that route.

Chelsea’s lead at the top of the Premier League table has been cut down to four points now following their defeat to Manchester United which makes it really interesting for the neutral. The top two teams play each other in the FA Cup this weekend which I think may have bearing on where the title goes. If Spurs can beat them then they will have a huge confidence boost, while at the same time knocking Chelsea’s confidence.

I thought Manchester United did an excellent job of marking Chelsea’s big hitters out of the game last weekend. Tottenham beat them earlier in the season at White Hart Lane by out-playing them, United, on the other hand, did it by nullifying their best opponents. Tottenham will feel they have individuals who can out-perform Chelsea at Wembley.

It is such a tight game to call because there are a number of match winners in both teams. When you look at the amount of goals in that Tottenham side, you have Kane, Son, Alli and Eriksen. Chelsea also have Costa, Hazard, Pedro, William and Fabregas so it sets us up for what should be an absolutely cracking game and one that I am really looking forward to.

Sunday’s tie between Arsenal and Manchester City is also a huge game for both teams. Pep needs a trophy in his first season in England, while Arsenal are sixth in the Premier League so the pressure is on them in the FA Cup. It could also determine what happens to Arsene Wenger at the end of the campaign.

Whoever is in the final it will be great for the competition. When we start the FA Cup in the early rounds, the big clubs get criticised for resting players. Ultimately though, we have four big clubs in the semi-finals which tells you how important it still is to them. They all are desperate to win it for different reasons.

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