Chelsea fans are smiling here in the Football Transfer Tavern after Metro report that their skipper could well be in line for a new deal at the club, keeping him there until 2016.

John Terry may be approaching the twilight of his career but it seems that Jose Mourinho is determined to keep him at the club past the end of his current deal which expires in the summer – and will not let a repeat of the Frank Lampard situation happen again.

Mourinho noted that happiness was key to his players performing at the top of their game and claimed: “John had a period here of so many doubts, question marks. Is he still the same player? Can he play at this level? Is he fit? Will he play or be in the stands?

“Then, suddenly, the happiness arrives and look at him. It’s been a process. When I arrived we played a European Super Cup and he was not playing. At that moment, he was happy but he was not ready for the high level. So it was also a process. But the reality is he played so well last season and this season, too.”

As one of our regulars notes, it is worth remembering that the ‘unhappy’ period for Terry was when Rafael Benitez was in charge and there were a fair few players unhappy during his short-lived interim spell at the club!