John Terry has disclosed the most remarkable talent he witnessed at Chelsea, a player who, unfortunately, did not ascend to the expected heights.
Throughout his distinguished career at Stamford Bridge, Terry shared the field with some of the Premier League’s enduring legends.
- FIFA told to bar every captain who voted for Lionel Messi
- Why Lionel Messi beat Haaland to FIFA Best Award despite duo registering same points tally in voting
- Guardiola gives X-rated answer when asked to pick between Man City & Barcelona
As a product of Chelsea’s academy, Terry secured an impressive haul of five Premier League titles, six FA Cups, three League Cups, the Europa League, and the Champions League.
Having climbed to the pinnacle himself, the defender understands the requirements for reaching the top. He expressed particular conviction about one individual who he believed would join him on that journey.
During an Instagram live session in 2020, when questioned about someone who didn’t fulfill their potential, Terry pointed out, “Probably a lad named Rob Wolleaston at Chelsea.”
“He was like a midfielder/winger, had so much ability. I still know Rob now, but mentally didn’t have that to go and push himself.”
Wolleaston was given the opportunity to make his mark in Chelsea’s first team during the 90s under Ruud Gullit.
However, he fell short of expectations, and Terry highlighted the specific moment when he realized that it wouldn’t pan out for him.
The 43-year-old added: “He got chosen to train with the first team at a young age, 17 or 18, did well and Gullit told him he was going to play in the first team in a cup game.
“He then phoned up on the day of the game and said he was sick.
“All of us, if we were sick or felt like we were at the end of the world, we would have still gone and played the game, we wouldn’t have given up that opportunity.
“He did it two or three times and he was just not mentally ready for the game, but ability-wise, incredible.”
Wolleaston departed Chelsea for Bradford City in 2003 following loan stints with Bristol Rovers, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, and Northampton Town.
His subsequent years were spent in the lower leagues, culminating in retirement with Harrow Borough in 2014.
In contrast, Terry’s career trajectory could have taken a different turn. He revealed that two clubs had expressed interest in signing him during his tenure in London.
The ex-England captain continued: “During my time the only two clubs that approached me were Huddersfield when I first came through. Steve Bruce was the manager of Huddersfield.
“Chelsea accepted a bid and [Gianluca] Vialli said no. I’m very thankful to Luca for, he gave me my debut.
“Man City approached Chelsea and made an official offer. I sat with the owner, face-to-face and said ‘I never want to leave Chelsea, that’s a fact. If you want to sell me then it’s a different story, I don’t want to stay. But I’m telling you off the bat that I never want to leave this football club’.
“Within that, I was due a new contract, we shook hands on a new contract, agreed a deal and I stayed another five, six years after that.”
