While Aston Villa attempt to lure John Terry to Villa Park, it seems Birmingham City have edged in front in the race for Barnsley’s Marc Roberts.
Chelsea legend John Terry
It doesn’t take long to realise why Aston Villa are so desperate to hand John Terry the chance to continue his career in English football, as reported by The Sun.
The former Three Lions skipper may be a long way from his best days at the age of 36 but the serial trophy hoarder is one of the greatest defenders in the history of British football. And the five-time Premier League champion cannot be written off just yet despite his ageing limbs.
How much time Terry has left in his legs, however, remains to be seen. Two years? One? Either way, Villa are hardly investing £60,000-a-week in a long-term signing.
The Sun claims that Villa will offer Terry £3 million a year, plus another £2 million if he leads them back to the Premier League. That’s a lot of money for a club who, according to The Telegraph, have to sell before they buy this summer for fear of breaching Financial Fair Play regulations.
However, amid all the excitement of luring a bonafide England legend to Villa Park, they appear to have left their deal for Barnsley skipper Marc Roberts by the wayside.
Terryble business?
The Star claimed last month that Villa were to bid £5 million for the former Halifax Town defender, who won Barnsley’s Player of the Year award as they finished a respectable 14th last season. A rugged, no-nonsense centre-back ten years younger than Terry, Roberts appeared to be an excellent long-term addition at Villa Park.
Barnsley’s Marc Roberts
However, the Birmingham Mail now report that local rivals Birmingham City are the frontrunners with Villa’s attention firmly directed at convincing Terry to turn down lucrative pay packets from America and China.
Yet, even if Terry does don the claret and blue next season, he surely won’t be sticking around for long. Signing Roberts now instead would reinforce Villa’s defence for the next few seasons – not just the next few months.
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