Chelsea team captain John Terry. (Photo : Getty Images)
Shanghai SIPG FC manager Sven-Göran Eriksson recently confirmed the interest of several Chinese Super League clubs in signing Chelsea FC team captain John Terry when his contract with the Stamford Bridge residents expires at the end of the current English Premier League season.
Metro indicated that 68-year-old Swedish bench tactician "believes that the 35-year-old would be very successful in the Far East", as if trying to persuade Terry to push through with his rumored transfer to China, although he did not particularly mentioned the CSL squad he is currently heading.
"There is a lot of talk about John Terry in China. He has been one of the greatest defenders in the world for the last 15 years," Eriksson said, as per The Sun. "He is still doing very well and has a lot to offer. He is one of the most recognizable players in world football."
Eriksson then said that football clubs from the East Asia nation is constantly searching for big-name players that are proven leaders as he emphasized that "great teams need great leaders", and Terry is just the perfect player they were looking for.
"They do not come much better than John Terry. With his skill, his experience, he would be great in China, I have no doubt about that," he added.
Reports say that London, England native could earn at least £20 million of annual wages after tax playing in the China top flight as CSL clubs have now begun splashing money for big-name international signings, and Terry is as big a name as it gets when it comes to world football.
Caught Offside also reported that Eriksson "predicted that the CSL will only improve and grow in terms of quality and popularity in the coming years" as huge monetary investments by Chinese clubs are now being expended to lure European and South American stars in their prime.
The former England national team boss also "hailed China as a great place to live and to play football", according to the article.
Eriksson was signed by the Red Eagles as head coach in November of 2014, immediately after the Shanghai International Port group bought out the whole stake of the club that year.
