This is what we have been waiting for. John Terry has finally broken his silence – with some good news. He has really put the whole thing to rest. He is not leaving Chelsea for any club. This is published in the official website. This is such a big boost for Chelsea FC. The Chelsea revolution had only begun when TSO won us those titles. We need strong characters such as John Terry to keep the dream alive and complete the true revolution as Roman envisioned. Now that’s another one of those snubs for Man City. Now Mark Hughes can start looking at a ‘poor man’s John Terry’ (football-wise, otherwise such an irony for Citeh).

Here is the verbatim of the statement from John Terry:

There has been a lot of speculation recently about my future and I want to clear this up once and for all. I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been. Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention to accept any kind of offer. When you are linked with any club, or with a manager who I have huge respect for, it will always make headlines but me leaving Chelsea was never a possibility.

I know there has been comment that I should have made a statement earlier. However, throughout this period there have been numerous discussions between myself, the owner and the Chelsea Board and we all agreed that the timing of any statement would suit everyone involved in those talks, not any outside influences or agendas.

What is clear to me following those discussions is that Chelsea’s ambition remains as high as ever. This has been further proved by the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti. I am certain that he will take this club on to the next level. Another important factor was knowing that Chelsea would be securing key current players for the long term. The strengthening of the squad around this core is crucial to pushing us onto greater success. I am as committed as ever to helping drive Chelsea forward and I will be proud to lead the team for as long as I can.

JT-Chelsea

I’ve gone through this statement in various emotions which have led me to different conclusions before settling down with a very reasonable one.

The Optimist in me says:

Fantastic news! JT stays! This is exactly the news I have been waiting for. And he has made it so clear that he is not leaving Chelsea. He’s also given some important hints like how much he supports the new manager and about strengthening of the squad. If he is not leaving at this age and stage, probably he is not going to think about leaving in future as well. He is totally committed. Totally.

The Pessimist in me says:

He has stated his commitment all right but there are some loose ends in his statement. Firstly, his rationale for his delayed response is pretty weak. It is very obvious that Terry, Roman and the board have had some discussions about his transfer status, which is something I don’t want to believe. He also says that those discussions have made him understand the status of Chelsea’s ambitions. I wouldn’t mind if Zhirkov had said this, but John Terry? Basically, I’m sad that he had to be convinced to stay. If you have the eye for the details, you’d notice a overwhelming ‘presentness’ about his stance than ‘futureness’. Do you know what I mean?

The Pragmatist in me says:

He is totally committed. That does not mean he ‘will be’ totally committed. The reality is, he is staying with Chelsea for the 09-10 season. Anything else is hope.

I rest my case.