How would John Terry fare in China? Not in a footballing sense, but culturally; the Mill is a bit concerned that once Chelsea’s braveheart had left the leafy enclaves of Cobham, Surrey, there might be a bit of a time of acclimatisation – which for a 35-year-old, whose career is hurtling towards its close could be a bit of a problem. There are no Waitroses in China. How will Terry eat?
But crucially, there are also no three-man defences, or at least none near Shanghai SIPG, where André Villas-Boas has taken over from Sven Goran Eriksson and is now intent upon bringing the man he fell out with so fantastically during his own time at Chelsea back in from the cold. Terry has started just one match in the last two months – a 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the EFL Cup – and with Kurt Zouma nearing a return from injury, his days on the King’s Road appear numbered.
Terry turned down a £12m, two-year offer to join Sven at SIPG last season and instead signed a new one-year deal at Chelsea, heavily weighted towards appearances, which isn’t working out so well. A January move beckons. Another Chelsea man struggling for game time is Oscar and, while there is interest from China, it’s Internazionale that will chuck £25m at Antonio Conte and see if it sticks.
You thought Steven Gerrard was finished, didn’t you? Wrong! He’s off to see his old mate Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, according to the Sun, becoming the latest Englishman to try to upstage Scott Brown, this time in training. Following the end of his LA Galaxy contract, Gerrard now has the choice between taking a cushy job at the Premier League leaders in his home town where he is adored, or the prospect of Partick Thistle away next month. Decisions, decisions. “I’m sure I’ll be back involved in the game. I’ve got offers both on and off the pitch,” Gerrard said. “What I will say is that I’m going back home to spend some time with my family and go over my options.”
When Kolo Touré isn’t trying to convince Steven Gerrard to move to Glasgow, he’s busy being a top-drawer big brother, offering some sage advice to little rascal Yaya. “You’re at the top at one moment, and then you go back down,” Kolo mused. “You have to understand that you need a change of scenery, go to a place where people want you. He’s still at City, I respect that. But Olympique Marseille is a super club and he knows the French league well.” So there’s that rumour, folks.
Arsenal are lining up a move for Leandro Paredes, of Roma fame, who has impressed as a deep-lying midfielder since his loan move to Empoli last season. Yet to be capped by Argentina, the 22-year-old has wonderful vision and doesn’t mind a tackle, and has previously been linked to Liverpool for £18m.
