Paul Clement Will Make John Terry Bid After Season Closer

Paul Clement will put Swansea City’s season to bed and then ask John Terry to join him in Wales next season.

The Swans boss will bid to close his club’s campaign on a high by beating West Brom at home on Sunday to climb above the 40-point mark.

That will also enable Terry to be left to his Stamford Bridge farewell on the same day.

Clement worked with Terry during his time on the Chelsea coaching staff and has made no secret of his interest in bringing the Blues skipper to the Liberty Stadium.

The former England defender started Monday’s win over Watford and could be given one final start at the Bridge on Sunday as the champions host relegated Sunderland a week before the FA Cup final.

Clement said: “I’m going to get this season done, and he’s obviously got a lot on himself.

“There’s a big game for him coming up at Stamford Bridge, the last game of season, and I’m sure he’s going to get a wonderful send-off.”

Asked if signing free agent Terry is a genuine possibility he said: “I’m not sure. I will have a conversation with him. I’ve known him a long time.

“I don’t know what his thinking is, whether he’s going to carry on first of all – there’s been talk in the media that it’s going to be his last game.

“Whether he’ll go on here in the Premier League or abroad, that’s all unsure at the moment.”

Clement has urged Swansea to finish with a flourish now the pressure is off his players after they hit their Premier League survival target last weekend.

Having been bottom of the table with just 12 points at the midway point of the season, the Swans guaranteed they will still be a top-flight club in 2017-18 after they beat Sunderland and Hull City lost at Crystal Palace.

Clement admits the mood has been relaxed on the training ground this week – but insists the Swans have plenty to play for.

“It’s obviously very pleasing to be safe because we could have been going into a high-pressure game this weekend,” he said.

“We’re delighted to have got safe with a game to spare, but we still want to finish strongly.

“The season is not over yet and we want a good performance at home – there’s lots of motivation going into the last game.

“We are playing in front of our fans and I think there will be a good atmosphere. We have the chance to finish the season with three straight wins, which is a difficult thing to do in the Premier League.

“We want to keep a clean sheet and we want to score some goals. We don’t want to concede from a set-play because we haven’t done that throughout the second half of the season.

“We also want to try to finish two places higher in the table than we are now, which is a possibility if we win the game.”

The Swans have been in celebratory mood since Hull’s defeat at Selhurst Park ensured they will remain in the Premier League for a seventh successive season.

But Clement is asking for one final push from his players before they head off for the summer break.

“It has been really good this week – we have had a couple of days to enjoy what happened last weekend,” he added.

“But we have to move on quickly. We have a game to prepare for and we expect it to be a difficult one.

“West Brom had a very strong first half of the season which meant that their Premier League status was never going to be in doubt.

“That’s a credit to Tony Pulis, a very experienced manager who I respect.

“They have struggled a little bit recently, but we are expecting a tough opponent.”

Clement, meantime, has backed chairman Huw Jenkins’s suggestion that the Swans do not need to make major changes to their playing staff this summer.

“From my point of view, I have been very happy with this squad,” the head coach said.

“I don’t think a major overhaul is required. Of course we want to strengthen, but I don’t see it being a lot of players – maybe we will do a couple of things.

“If the club had got 12 points in the second half of the season, as they did in the first, then you would maybe say an overhaul was needed.

“But if we win on Sunday, we could end up with 29 points from the second half of the season. Even if we had got 20 in the first half of season and 29 in the second, I think we would be around eighth or ninth in the league.

“That would be right up there with the best finish Swansea have had.”

 

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