John Terry’s dramatic revelation about his Chelsea career may not be the final word, Rémi Garde was probably right to focus on the league and Wayne Rooney continues to draw inspiration from Bobby CharltonThere was a whiff of political manoeuvring to John Terry’s post-match announcement that Chelsea had opted against offering him new terms for the summer. It was the way in which the captain laboured his point, while also suggesting the hierarchy had “said that, when the new manager comes in, things might change but it’s a ‘no’ at the minute.”. There, unmistakeably, was his get-out should this tale take another twist. At present, anything feels possible. Maybe an offer is on the table, most likely from the Chinese Super League who appear so intent upon plundering the Premier League this winter, which Terry hopes Chelsea will come close to matching. Perhaps, now he has entered the final six months of his contract at Stamford Bridge and is permitted to negotiate a summer Bosman move to a foreign club, this is all a lavish game to coax a reaction from the club where he has spent the last 18 years as a professional. Certainly the timing felt rather odd. That Chelsea were compelled to issue their own statement late on Sunday night suggested they too had been taken by surprise by the centre-back’s outburst, with damage limitation underway given the reception that might await at Watford on Wednesday night. By the end of Sunday that instinctive reading of Terry’s comments – all anguished regret and resignation that his time at this club is drawing to a close – did not seem quite so clear-cut. Doubt is already creeping in – a parting of the ways may not be inevitable – fuelled by hints a new manager might want a say on whether a player with 700 career club games to his name should be discarded. The key now is the speed with which either party makes their next move: does Terry sign elsewhere, do the club stick or twist? Dominic Fifield• Terry to leave Chelsea at end of season• Oscar scores hat-trick in Chelsea rout of sorry MK Dons• MK Dons leave themselves wide open to Oscar in thrashing• Chelsea draw Manchester City and Arsenal meet Hull in FA Cup fifth round• Sánchez on target as Arsenal punish Burnley in FA Cup• Saturday Sundae: Villa Park venom• Manchester City thrash Aston Villa as Iheanacho hits hat-trick• Read all the fourth round FA Cup match reports• West Ham stand firm at Liverpool to earn FA Cup fourth-round replay• Harry Arter: ‘Every single game now I go out to play for her’• Bournemouth have Pugh to thank after late show sinks Portsmouth• Chadli’s goals inspire Spurs to comfortable win over Colchester• Fulham call off Moussa Dembélé move to Tottenham over loan-back• Paul Wilson: Van Gaal still has time to find the old Manchester United• Rooney eyes record after Manchester United break free in FA Cup • Ighalo strikes late to end Nottingham Forest Cup dream• Berahino bags brace but Posh secure replay with late equaliser• Blackburn’s FA Cup run continues as Ben Marshall double sinks Oxford • Match report: Barkley wraps up Everton’s FA Cup stroll in the park at Carlisle• Koné and Pienaar suffer alleged racial abuse at Carlisle Continue readingreadfullarticle
