Terry At 10/1 To Join Stoke

John Terry will be an unpopular figure wherever he goes. Regardless of the countless medals and long career at the top of the game, a man shrouded in controversy will be a divisive figure whomever he signs for this summer. His self-indulgent farewell from Stamford Bridge was criticised tirelessly, but the spotlight will only follow him brighter in his next – and probably final – step in his career.

The latest news that broke late this week was that Terry had been involved in talks with Harry Redknapp. Redknapp and Terry are a match made in heaven, and the revelation has seen the former England captain’s odds to move to the second city drop to 11/20. Value in that offer has gone, particularly as the chances of Terry dropping down to the Championship even at this stage in his career must be low.

Escaping the cauldron of hatred aimed at him in Britain is the second favourite option on the 888 Sport markets. A move to any Portuguese club is at 3/5. Personally, I find it unlikely that Terry would move to Portugal. Should he leave his home comforts and uproot his family, the former Chelsea skipper would most likely make a move that would see him become one of the world’s highest paid players. /p>

And we all know what that means: MLS or China.

Any MLS club to sign Terry is at 5/1, while a Chinese Super League club is at 8/1. New regulations on foreign signings are incoming, and there has been a general trend for the mega money deals to be on attack-minded players. Terry’s ugly history hardly aids his marketability in America or the Far East, too.

Joint-third favourites are Aston Villa and Bournemouth at 4/1. Villa again would mean Terry dropping into the Championship, and Bournemouth – whose defence is already leaky – do not have the system to accommodate an immobile veteran. Eddie Howe’s transfer business has, however, been notoriously flaky since their promotion and he could be tempted by Terry’s experience.

At longer odds of 5/1 and 10/1 respectively are West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City. These two are my picks currently, with Tony Pulis and Mark Hughes both setting their teams up defensively in a way that would allow Terry to still play on a regular basis. The pair have always favoured older players and would likely welcome the opportunity to bring in a veteran with a career as decorated as Terry’s.

June 15, 2017
Football
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox

Verratti At 6/4 To Join Barca Despite Messi Meeting

Marco Verratti is one of football’s best midfielders. Combining tenacity with superb technique, the Italian has flourished at the domestically dominant Paris Saint Germain. Their European frustrations piqued this year, however.

After destroying Barcelona at home, their second leg humiliation only furthered the critical voices and perhaps will have turned the heads of their stars like Verratti.

There is no doubt that Verratti could cope with a change of scenery. He has the skillset and intrinsic talent that would make him a standout player in almost any team in the world, with perhaps Bayern Munich and Real Madrid the only exceptions. When it comes to any potential move this summer, Bayern are not even in contention and Madrid are unsurprisingly way out at 17/1.

The rumour mill has Barcelona has the only real destination for Verratti. Just the week, in fact, it was reported in Spain that Verratti met with Lionel Messi for dinner in Ibiza. His desire to move to the Catalan giants is clear, as is Barcelona’s determination to sign him, but Paris naturally are extremely reluctant to allow a club icon to leave. Letting the Italian depart would be a public admittance that they are not on the same level.

Should Verratti leave the French capital this summer, the market suggests it will be the Catalonia. His odds to remain with Adrien Rabiot and Blaise Matuidi are 33/100, while a move south to join Andres Iniesta and Messi is at 6/4. A tempting price, perhaps, but it’s tough to envisage Paris letting a player so synonymous with the club leave.

Next up are Chelsea at 14/1 and Juventus at 15/1. With the Blues apparently set on signing Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco, it’s a surprise that the Turin club are so far out. Their midfield is strong, but with Claudio Marchisio ageing, Sami Khedira prone to injury and Paul Pogba having left the club last summer, there must be a chance they move for Verratti as their marquee man this offseason.

A move elsewhere is almost impossible. The financial burden of a deal would be too much for the majority of clubs and the two that spring to mind to spend such cash – the two Manchester clubs – have no space for the Italian.

It’s probably Barcelona or Paris for Verratti in 2017/18, but a few pennies on a move to Juventus would not be the worst bet of the summer.

June 15, 2017
Football
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox