John Terry to Consider Extending Villa Park Stay if Premier League Promotion Is Secured

Aston Villa captain John Terry is willing to stay on at the club for another season, on the condition that the side reaches the Premier League next season. 

The Express and Star report that Terry has told manager Steve Bruce that he is ready to play for another year, despite the former Chelsea man turning 37 in December. 

The club will want to keep Terry considering his importance to their push for promotion thus far - and getting back into the top flight looks like their best chance of making that happen. 

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Financial Fair Play restrictions have blighted Bruce's past two transfer windows, so keeping Terry on board for next season would make his job much easier as he will not need to find a replacement worthy of the ex-England captain's ability.

Bruce has also suggested in the past that Terry would be offered place on the coaching staff, so a player-coach role at the end of the season could be considered for the veteran.  

Terry has been central to Villa's success this season. His 28 appearances and one goal in the Championship this season have contributed to the Villains reaching fourth place, seven points adrift off of the automatic promotion places but in a solid position to make the play-offs. 

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Despite their strong standing, Villa's recent form has been poor. They have lost two games on the trot, including a 3-1 loss at home to 15th place QPR and a 1-0 loss to 19th place Bolton Wanderers. 

If they were to gain promotion to the Premier League, Terry would make a huge difference considering his experience in the division. He won the league five times with his old club Chelsea, and Villa will hope this experience will be important in keeping them up next season should they be promoted.