Aston Villa’s promotion push may have taken a hit, but they are certainly still in the hunt.
With the season nearing its climax it already feels like the footballing world cannot stop talking about John Terry’s contract situation with Aston Villa when, in reality, that should not be the club’s primary focus at all.
Over the course of the last 12 months, Villa have done a fantastic job of rebuilding the reputation that was so badly damaged after they were relegated from the Premier League. They have brought in an experienced manager in Steve Bruce, the fans have got behind the team, and the ownership in place at the club feels secure for the first time in a long time.
However one of their biggest positives, John Terry, could turn out to be a negative. While he has delivered some tremendous performances for the promotion chasers this season, too much emphasis is being put on whether or not he is going to re-sign.
Father time catches up with us all eventually and, while he still appears to be in the prime of his career, the Englishman will be moving towards 38 come the end of 2018. In the second tier that clearly does not seem to be an issue for him, but when playing among football’s elite in the top flight, you have to question whether or not his age will affect his ability to compete at the highest level.
It does not matter whether or not he is going to be playing Chelsea if Villa gain promotion to the Premier League, because one way or another, he needs to play and it should be treated as just another game.
The focus is being pulled away from some of the more promising youngsters at the club, including the parade of names who were called up for England under-21 and under-20 duty recently. There is no doubting that Terry deserves credit for what he has done this season, but there needs to be a fine balance.
Even Jack Grealish is being outshone by this story, and he has been the star of the show at Villa Park. These next few weeks are going to be crucial, and the club needs to be avoiding the distraction of wondering whether or not their biggest name is going to remain on the books.
Get your heads down and focus on the task at hand, then deal with this in the summer.
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