• Premier League

New Terry deal is just matter of time - Mourinho

It is just a matter of time until John Terry signs a new contract to stay at Chelsea for another season, says Jose Mourinho.

The Chelsea captain's deal runs out at the end of the season, on account of a club policy only to give one-year deals to players over a certain age, but Mourinho said Terry had accepted that and "won the challenge by performing so well".

"I think everybody wants to stay, and especially him that's here for all his life," Mourinho said. "I think he accepted our [policy] after a certain age to go year after year, season after season and John accepted that with a smile and accepted that as a challenge.

"Last season he won the challenge by performing so well and by getting a one-year extension. This season he's winning the challenge and is winning the right of getting one more year extension, which is what the club wants, what John wants, what is going to happen.

"I don't think we should now every press conference [ask] the same question because what I told is the obvious. Sooner or later, he will get the season contract he deserves."

The Times and the Sun reported on Friday that Mourinho himself is set to be offered a new contract with Chelsea during the summer. The manager's current deal still has over two years to run, and Mourinho indicated there is no panic because he has no willingness to leave.

"I'm different," he said. "I have two more years of contract. I want to stay. I think the club is happy too.

"I'm not waiting for offers. I'm not going to give any space for speculation, for interest of other clubs. I want to stay. I don't want to go. I don't need a contract just now.

"My story is a non-story because I told from the beginning that I will stay until Mr Abramovich wants me to stay."

Chelsea have a full squad other than the injured John Obi Mikel for Saturday's home game against Burnley, but Mourinho says they are "lucky" that Eden Hazard is fit after the physical treatment he received in the side's 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain.

"Hazard is a lucky boy not to be injured, which is also important," Mourinho said. "Look, during the game I was aware of the number of fouls, counting [nine of them].

"I was aware that every time he had the ball he was surrounded and fouled, but only on TV I could understand the dimension of the fouls because some of them were dangerous fouls.

"So I think lucky kid. I think he deserves luck because he's so fair and so honest, that he deserves to be lucky, the same way he was lucky at Stoke, for example. He deserves that luck.

"I hope he's lucky because, I repeat, if someone deserves luck, it's him. He's honest, he's loyal, he doesn't provoke opponents. He enjoys his game. He's not the type of player that, when he's winning, he starts with tricks and provoking people and creating emotional reactions.

"I think at this moment is a really difficult player to stop. I think in this moment it's going over the line, but I'm proud of him by being this kind of player on the pitch and I leave [the discipline] to the authorities."

Chelsea captain John Terry is out of contract at the end of the season © PA Photos

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