West Brom or West Ham is best move for John Terry if he doesn’t retire

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If John Terry wants to continue playing after Chelsea he should consider West Brom or West Ham.

Chelsea’s John Terry

John Terry will be leaving Chelsea this summer after 22 years with the club, but what his next move will be remains to be seen.

The player himself has said that he has not ruled out retirement, while Swansea City manager Paul Clement – who worked with Terry at Stamford Bridge when he was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant – has said he will speak to the 36-year-old about a possible switch to South Wales.

Swansea City manager Paul Clement

Bournemouth were also rumoured to be interested, although the Daily Echo have now disputed that and said Eddie Howe will not be making an approach.

Either way those are two clubs Terry should avoid if he decides he does want to prolong his Premier League career – especially if he doesn’t want to taint his reputation.

Chelsea fans with a banner for Chelsea’s John Terry before the match

That is because the expansive play of the Cherries would no longer suit the centre-back, who although never considered particularly pacey would now be badly caught out. It would be a similar story at Swansea.

However, the Express have linked the Blues captain with West Ham United and the Telegraph have said West Bromwich Albion are interested and both would be a better fit.

The Hammers (currently) play a three-man central defence that is similar to Chelsea’s, which is something that can accommodate Terry’s lack of pace while still utilising his leadership and experience.

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte with Chelsea’s John Terry and David Luiz after the match

West Brom play a back four, but with Tony Pulis putting so much emphasis on defence and sitting deep the veteran could more easily slot into that system. For example, current Baggies centre-back Gareth McAuley is the same age at 36.

When Terry earned a rare start against Watford in the penultimate match of the campaign, with the title already won, his lack of mobility was exposed. He needs to find the right system to ensure that doesn’t become an embarrassing problem for one of the great defenders of the Premier League era.