‘Chelsea accepted’ – EFL club almost signed John Terry in cut-price deal after ‘miserable afternoon’

John Terry is the most decorated player in history – but his career was almost over before she even started.

The 44-year-old spent 19 years at the Stamford Bridge after he had come through the academy-in 717 games in all competitions.

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No player collected 17 trophies over his glittering career and collected so many winning medals for the blues as their legendary ex-captain.

His first trophy took place in 2000, where he was a non -used replacement in the FA Cup final of the West London outfit via Aston Villa.

Just two weeks earlier, he was called back from his short loan spell in Nottingham Forest to regularly play football for the first team.

Terry made his debut for Chelsea in the 1998/99 term before leaving the following term after only nine appearances.

After the central defender moved to Forest in six games in the second stage in March 2000 and won five games and helped the red to three clean leaves.

He not only impressed on the field for Forest, who was managed by ex-Arsenal star David Platt.

Steve Bruce, who was responsible for Huddersfield of the First Division Side, was blew by his talents during a coaching course, which he completed on the town square.

It led to the fact that he later made an offer of £ 750,000 for the young defender – which was accepted by Chelsea.

Although Terry hesitated to take the move when he wanted to desperate to make a future on the Stamford Bridge.

Bruce remembered how the Terrier almost performed the sensational transfer, and said in 2010: “I did my FA trainer badge in Forest.

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“David Platt was a Forest manager at the time and he invited me and Gianluca Vialli up there.

“It was a cold, miserable afternoon and I saw John Terry roll up his shirt in his short sleeves – he was loaned there.

“I thought ‘Christ, he’ll do me in Huddersfield. I like him.’

“I offer £ 750,000 for him, it was a lot of money for me at the time and Chelsea accepted it.

“But the boy didn’t want to leave Stamford Bridge at that time. I was close, but he didn’t want to go during death.“

Bruce added: “He is everything they want in a central defender, he is a born leader.

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“He was only a boy at the time, but on a cold day in Nottingham Forest he said just like ‘Bring it’ he was fantastic.”

While Chelsea accepted the offer, Terry claimed that the then manager Gianluca Vialli, who played with him in the 1998/99 season, entered to block the transfer.

His say in the saga when he spoke to Snooker Legend Stephen Henry in an Instagram -Q in 2020, Terry said: “During my time [at Chelsea] The only two clubs that approached me were [firstly] Huddersfield when I got through for the first time.

“Steve Bruce was a manager of Huddersfield.

“Chelsea accepted an offer and Vialli said no, which Luca was obviously very grateful. He made my debut – a great man, a great manager.”

He continued: “Then obviously the Mannstadt one. City was approached Chelsea [in 2009]made an offer officially.

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“I just sat with the owner of face to face and said: ‘I never want to leave Chelsea, that’s a fact.

“‘If you want to sell me, it is a different story, I clearly don’t want to stay. But I tell you the racket that I would never want to leave this football club.'”

As fate wanted it, Bruce would finally sign Terry and brought him to a free transmission in Aston Villa in 2017 after his release in Chelsea.

But if he had made his way 17 years earlier, Terry may not be the well -known name he is today.