John Terry: 'Time moves on' for Chelsea as Blues prepare to lose captain, says Ian Wright

The 35-year-old joined the Blues at the age of 14 and played 696 games for the club along the way to lifting four Premier League titles

Chelsea captain John Terry will leave the club at the end of the season (Getty Images)

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has defended Chelsea’s decision to release John Terry on a free transfer in the summer.

The 35-year-old joined the London club at the age of 14 and played 696 games for the club along the way to lifting four Premier League titles, five FA Cups and the Champions League with the Blues.

But it was announced on Sunday he will leave Stamford Bridge after the club informed him he would not be offered new terms when his contract expires in June.

“It may be a bold decision but it's also the final proof of how the club are wanting to go in a different direction,” Wright told the Sun.

“You can't make decisions based on sentiment and long service. As good as he's been this season, time moves on.

“Chelsea can't be slaughtered for not giving younger players a chance one minute, then again when they make a decision like this.”

Speaking after the 5-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat of Championship side MK Dons, Terry said: “It’s my last run in the FA Cup so I want to make it a good one.

“It’s a big season for me and I want to push on, not just in this competition but in the Premier League as well. I knew before the Arsenal game [that my contract was not to be renewed] so mentally I’ve kind of accepted it. We just have to move on.

“The club said that when the new manager comes in [during the summer], things might change. I needed to know now like I have done every January, and sometimes it takes a couple of months to get done. Unfortunately it was a no [from the club]. It’s not going to be a fairytale ending, I’m not going to retire at Chelsea, it’s going to be elsewhere.”