No Chelsea reunion at Derby County for old England team-mates John Terry and Frank Lampard

John Terry will not be joining Derby County.
Derby County boss Frank LampardDerby County boss Frank Lampard
Derby County boss Frank Lampard

The 37-year-old defender this week turned down a contract offer from Spartak Moscow of the Russian Premier League.

He has been a free agent since leaving Aston Villa in the summer and has been heavily linked with a move to the Rams.

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But boss Frank Lampard has stated there would be no move for his his former Chelsea and England team-mate.

“John Terry is a fantastic player, a fantastic leader, he has got a lot to offer,” Lampard is reported as saying in the Derby Telegraph.

“But we have defenders - Curtis Davies is coming back to fitness, we have options - so there’s no more movement from us.

“I think John will be great wherever he goes, wherever he chooses or whoever chooses him.

“It wasn’t possible for us at the moment.”

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And added: “He will make the decision that is right for him.

“We have to make decisions, which I do with the owner in terms of what we can do and what we can’t do.

“We had areas of priority in the summer, and a lot of that was trying to bring the age of the squad down to achieve the style of play we want here.

“I looked at attacking players. I had to prioritise, it’s as simple as that.”

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Terry made 36 appearances last season in the Villa team that were beaten by Fulham in Championship play-off final.

And Lampard said Terry still has a lot to offer football.

He said: “John is fantastic. What he would bring to anywhere - on the pitch and in the dressing room - is second to none. He is the best captain I’ve ever played under.

“So, whatever he does, whether it is playing or whether he becomes a manager or a coach afterwards, John will do it brilliantly because of his personality.

“If he wants to play another year or two, he can do it, if he wants to be a coach, he can do that. If he wants to do TV, he can do that too.

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“When you’re a legend of the game, and worked so hard and got such good results as John’s had, it means he can make decisions for himself - and as we saw with Spartak - and for his family.

“I’m sure he’ll make the right one when he decides, and that’ll be it.”