Aston Villa pulled off a serious coup in the summer.
Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has told the club’s official website that Villa fans didn’t quite know how important John Terry was going to be for them.
Xia and manager Steve Bruce pulled off a major coup in the summer by signing the 36-year-old on a Bosman following his release from Chelsea.
In doing so, Aston Villa bagged themselves a defender who led the Blues to five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and a Champions League crown in 2012.
His influence in West London had been no secret down the years, but Xia suggests that Aston Villa fans should be pleasantly surprised about how important the former England captain – who has started 16 Championship games this season – would be in the West Midlands.
“We were thinking about how to improve. It’s why, when we had the opportunity to bring in John Terry, we tried our very best,” he told Aston Villa’s official website.
“We know his mentality. His leadership would help a lot, we thought – he’s definitely improved things.
“John is respected and admired, that’s for sure. For people like John, he has self-discipline. He knows how to affect and help others.
“When he came in, I think a lot of fans might not have had a real sense of what kind of influence he would bring into the club. We can see very practically his influence now.”
Terry has missed Aston Villa’s last three games in what will be a 10-week injury layoff, but Bruce’s side have coped well, winning all three and only conceding two.
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