Grief-stricken football fans can’t bear the thought of John Terry leaving Chelsea

The news that the universally popular John Terry may *still* leave Chelsea has rocked football to its core.

Earlier in the season, it emerged Chelsea would not be offering their captain a new deal, prompting a mass outpouring of sympathy from football supporters of every club. Last weekend, his red card against Sunderland was enough to move the majority of those inside the Stadium of Light to tears as it dawned on them that they had just witnessed the final moments of Terry's glittering Chelsea career. In a cruel twist, it seemed that Terry would be staying at the club after all on Friday as news broke that Chelsea had offered the 35-year-old a new contract. However, reaching out to the legions of well wishers through an Instagram post, Terry later revealed that despite finally being offered a new deal with the club, he may still choose to move on.

Thanks to everyone for the kind wishes. The contract extension the club has offered me is a different role and I hope everyone will understand I want to take the time to consider it carefully before making a decision.

A photo posted by John Terry (@johnterry.26) on May 13, 2016 at 11:17am PDT

Faced with what was clearly a bitter pill to swallow, thousands of melancholic John Terry fans used Twitter to vent their sadness at the news. Many were empathetic with the difficult decision Terry faces... https://twitter.com/St4rpower/status/731207645235937284 But were nevertheless desperate to see him back in Chelsea blue at the start of the 2016/17 campaign... https://twitter.com/yiddo369/status/731103844025802752 https://twitter.com/afcjonathan/status/731101206026825729 Others took the opportunity to say how much they admired him... https://twitter.com/185chowells/status/731153337643601920 And wished him the very best for the future, no matter what might lie ahead... https://twitter.com/westhamted/status/731108467348541441