John Terry: 'I could not join Swansea City after leaving Chelsea'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 18 December 2017

Former Chelsea defender John Terry reveals why he snubbed a move to Swansea City in favour of joining Championship side Aston Villa in the summer.

John Terry has revealed that he had little choice but to snub a summer move to Swansea City, despite the best efforts of boss Paul Clement.

The 37-year-old was offered a one-year contract by Championship side Aston Villa after bringing an end to his 19-year spell with Chelsea at the end of last season.

Swansea were interested in the experienced centre-back at the time, with Clement using his Chelsea connections in a bid to tempt him to join the Welsh club, but Terry felt that plying his trade in the second tier was the best option.

"I knew Paul, but I didn't want to play in the Premier League against Chelsea - that was a big thing for me," he told Sky Sports News.

"I gave him that service though because I felt I owed that to him after what he did for me and how he helped me growing up. He pushed me really close with the way he dealt with me and the process was excellent, I must say, but in the end, I couldn't do it."

Terry is currently out injured with a broken metatarsal, which he hopes to recover from within the next fortnight.