Former Chelsea captain Terry joins Aston Villa
Sports
By
Reuters
| Jul 03, 2017
Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry has joined Championship side Aston Villa, the club's owner said on Monday.
"Welcome JT to Birmingham city...Aston Villa!@AVFCOfficial Announcement shortly!," Tony Xia posted on Twitter in a sideways dig at the club's cross-city rivals, Birmingham City, who had also sought to sign the 36-year-old centre-half.
Terry became a free agent at the weekend after 22 years at Stamford Bridge where he played his entire career in the Premier League.
The Birmingham Mail and other papers reported Terry had signed a one-year deal and already flown to Villa's pre-season training camp in the Algarve to meet his new teammates.
He made his final appearance for the champions in May, leaving to a guard of honour 26 minutes into the game to correspond with his shirt number.
READ MORE
Titles on the line as Coast Region champions seek fresh mandate
It's race against time as mechanics put on final touches
Safari Rally 2026: KeNHA issues traffic advisory, lists alternative routes to Naivasha
Kakamega and St Peter's Mumias close in on title
Kisii School triumph in rescheduled boys' basketball final
Chana brothers ready for big test against top guns at Safari Rally
Africa roots for strong data systems to spur development
Education sector set for major boost in supplementary budget
Evans will need luck as he seeks to defend Safari Rally title
Fighting corruption can transport Kenya from 'Singapoor' to Singapore
But, despite interest from West Bromwich Albion, Stoke City and Bournemouth, he has been persuaded to drop down to England's second tier by Villa manager Steve Bruce.
Villa are former European Cup holders who were relegated from the Premier League in 2016. Despite spending heavily under Chinese owner Xia, they failed to gain instant promotion and finished a disappointing 13th last season.