Why Stoke City must seal a deal for Chelsea defender John Terry this summer

Stoke City picked up their first away point in the Premier League since March by drawing 2-2 at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Mark Hughes’ men slumped to four straight defeats between March and April to have them looking over their shoulder, but a 3-1 victory over Hull followed by draws against West Ham and now the Cherries has moved them seven points clear of danger with just two games to go.

The Potters took the lead at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday thanks to Lys Mousset’s own goal 12 minutes before half time, only for Junior Stanislas to equalise for Eddie Howe’s side just after the hour.

Hughes’ men then edged in front again thanks to Mame Biram Diouf’s first Premier League goal of the season, although a Ryan Shawcross own goal nine minutes from time secured the point both sides needed to confirm their top-flight status for next season.

Stoke’s attentions will now turn to achieving a fourth successive top-half finish in the top tier, they are currently 13th with two games to go, and beyond that they must be thinking about how they can potentially get near the European places, or indeed win a piece of silverware.

And one man they’ve been linked with in recent days could certainly help them achieve that, namely Chelsea’s John Terry.

The 36-year-old has confirmed that he will leave Stamford Bridge this summer after a 22-year association with the club, in which time he has played 714 times, and won four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, and a Champions League crown back in 2012.

And he is exactly the sort of player, and indeed character, that Stoke boss Hughes should be looking to bring to the bet365 Stadium this summer.

Although he has been restricted to just four Premier League starts under Antonio Conte this term, that doesn’t necessarily suggest that Terry is no longer capable of playing at the top level, it’s just that the back three of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, and Gary Cahill have done so well that it didn’t need changing.

Remember, it wasn’t that long ago that the former England captain was at the heart of the Chelsea defence which won the title under Jose Mourinho in 2015, playing all 38 league matches and earning a spot in the PFA Team of the Year – there is still some life left in Terry yet.

He could still do a job in the Premier League, maybe not for those sides chasing the title or Champions League football, but a club like Stoke, who aren’t going to go down but are unlikely to challenge the top six or seven sides in the table, could be ideal.

But he could also be a part of what Stoke want to go on and achieve in the coming years under Hughes.

The Potters have some excellent players, Xherdan Shaqiri and Marko Arnautovic to name a few, and as aforementioned aren’t going to go down, so what is the next step?

Surely it’s putting together either a great league campaign which sees them knocking on the door of the European places, or putting together a cup run – they’ve won one major trophy in their 154-year history.

And that’s where Terry could come in, as the 36-year-old has the title-winning knowhow and experience to help this Stoke team achieve even greater things on the football pitch.

He knows what it takes to win some of the biggest titles in both English and European football, he has done it repeatedly, and this kind of experience, both on and off the field, would seriously benefit a Stoke side looking to move up to the next level in years to come.

On the footballing side, Terry could still do a job – he is an out-and-out defender and one of the best the Premier League has ever seen – but his off-the-pitch presence would be just as vital, and that is why Stoke must try and land the centre-back ahead of Chinese Super League and MLS clubs this summer.