John Terry is ready to move on from a difficult summer, and the Chelsea captain says his return to the football pitch has come as a welcome distraction to his off-field troubles.
GettyImagesJohn Terry was found not guilty by Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle
Terry was acquitted of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand two weeks ago, an incident which followed England’s quarter-final exit at Euro 2012.
The defender then returned to playing last week, coming on as a late substitute in the Blues’ pre-season match against Paris Saint-Germain, before scoring in the 3-2 defeat by the MLS All Stars on Wednesday. But with a potential charge from the Football Association over the Ferdinand affair still hanging over his head, Terry insists he is happy to have football to focus on.
“I’m delighted to get back to football, concentrate on what I love doing,” Terry told the Guardian. “I’m very pleased to be here with the side and concentrating on getting fit first and foremost – and cracking away early on in the season.”
So far this summer, Chelsea have splurged £65 million on new signings which include Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar. Terry says the spending shows that owner Roman Abramovich is committed to further success after the club claimed the Champions League title last term.
“He’s down at the training ground, he’s around the hotel, he wants to know what’s going on, what kind of training we are doing. It is really refreshing to see and I think it’s good for the new players to see that.
“You have to [spend]. There is so much money out there. Even after winning the Champions League it is so important that we keep competing. And thankfully we have got an owner who is very much prepared to do that,” Terry said.
