Ancelotti puts faith in captain Terry

On his first official day as Chelsea FC manager Carlo Ancelotti quelled any doubts over the future of captain John Terry and compared him to AC Milan stalwart Paolo Maldini.

'Symbol'
Chelsea have recently rejected two bids for the services of the England centre-back from ambitious Manchester City FC and Ancelotti confirmed the club have no intention of letting the 28-year-old go. "John Terry is a symbol of this team," said the Italian. "He will be captain next season. He said he wants to stay forever and we want to keep him forever. The story continues: Chelsea and Terry." The esteem the 50-year-old holds for the club's longest-serving player was demonstrated by the new manager's comparison with Maldini, a defender Ancelotti both played alongside and coached at Milan. "I like to have a captain like Terry, he is very close to Maldini in terms of professionalism and quality."

European ambition
Chelsea hope Ancelotti can replicate his UEFA Champions League success with Milan, who he led to two European titles. Although he did confirm the imminent arrival of PFC CSKA Moskva's versatile wide man Yuri Zhirkov, Ancelotti refused to be drawn on any more potential signings. He also dismissed speculation about other players leaving the London club after Portuguese pair Ricardo Carvalho and Deco were linked to FC Internazionale Milano. "Carvalho and Deco are Chelsea players. If in the future a player wants to go they have to speak with the club and we take the right decision for the player and for us." After meeting the English press, Ancelotti went to take his first training session with his new squad as the players reported back for pre-season training.