• Premier League

Mourinho warns Terry: Play well for a new contract

ESPN staff
August 3, 2014
John Terry wants to further his Chelsea career after his current one-year deal expires © PA Photos
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Jose Mourinho has warned Chelsea captain John Terry that he will have to perform this season if he is to earn a new contract.

Terry, who signed a one-year deal with club at the end of last season, is hoping to further extend his stay at Stamford Bridge but Mourinho insists the 33 year old cannot rely on his status to earn him a new contract.

"The contract John got was only based on performances, not his status or his captaincy, just performances," Mourinho told the club's official website.

"We think this way of [giving out] one-year contracts is a very good way of dealing with these kinds of players. John knows me and he knows the club. He just has to be worried about performing.

"I don't remember a better season than the one he just had. That's the point. Last season he had one minor injury. He played basically every match, and at a very high level. When you have a player able to perform during the whole season it's because you believe that the next season he can do the same."

Terry's performances alongside Gary Cahill proved integral as Chelsea ended the Premier League season with the fewest league goals conceded.

However, it was scoring goals not shipping them that had Mourinho worried last year. The Portuguese has since moved to strengthen his strike force this summer, bringing in Diego Costa as well as re-signing Didier Drogba.

Romelu Lukaku has been sold to Everton for £28 million and, while Fernando Torres was also mooted to leave, Mourinho opted to hold on to the Spaniard.

Torres' goal-scoring prowess may have diminished since his £50m switch from Liverpool in 2011 but, like Terry, it is his work rate that swayed Mourinho's decision to keep him.

Mourinho said: "Fernando is not leaving. He is a good player. Maybe the self-esteem in terms of being a goalscorer is not at the top. All eyes are on him when he misses a goal, everybody remembers.

"But his work-rate for the team is fantastic and, because of that, we can play with two strikers from the three we have at the same time, no problem.

"We can play Nando and Drogba or Nando and Diego. Nando can play from the side or maybe we could even play both through the middle.

"When we are not winning matches, sometimes we play with three defenders and two strikers. Nando will always be a choice and a very useful player for us. Our strikeforce is strong and they all have different qualities, which is very important."

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