How John Terry reacted to Alfie Gilchrist leaving Chelsea for West Brom | OneFootball

Chelsea legend John Terry has reacted as Alfie Gilchrist - a player once described as "the next John Terry" - leave Stamford Bridge for West Brom.

Former Chelsea captain John Terry has reacted as Blues Alfie Gilchrist departure Stamford Bridge for the next chapter of his career at Championship side West Brom.

A player that the former Chelsea number 26 tipped to be his long-term successor at Stamford Bridge, Gilchrist has departed the west London outfit for more regular game-time.

The Baggies have had a solid start to their Championship season, having taken seven points from their first three games of the season, but there is still work being carried out on their first-team squad ahead of the closure of the transfer window.

Gilchrist has joined Albion for a reported fee of £1.2 million, which could rise to £2 million including add-ons. He's the seventh player to have arrived at The Hawthorns this summer, as Albion plot a return to the Premier League following an absence of five seasons.

John Terry sends message to Alfie Gilchrist as West Brom secure Chelsea transfer

Terry was reacting to an emotional post from Gilchrist on Instagram, in which the 21-year-old defender said goodbye to the club and thanked those who had assisted with his development over the years.

The former England captain's comment appeared among the replies, in which he said, "Good Luck mate", wishing the player all the best for his next move after it didn't work out for him at Chelsea.

This reaction was particularly poignant, as central defender Gilchrist was not only considered "the next John Terry", but, having been brought up in Surrey, had been a childhood fan of the club and had previously described Terry as his "idol", in a 2020 interview with the Chelsea FC website.

Alfie Gilchrist still has time to realise his Premier League ambitions with West Brom

Alfie Gilchrist's departure from Stamford Bridge was always likely to be an emotional moment for the player.

While he had started his journey towards becoming a professional in the youth set-up at Queens Park Rangers, he joined Chelsea at 11 years of age, more than a decade ago.

But Gilchrist was ultimately unable to break through into the Chelsea first-team squad. This may have partly been a matter of timing. Gilchrist was 17 when Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club in 2022, leading to a frantic summer in which 13 new players joined the club.

Despite this incoming traffic, Gilchrist signed a contract extension in 2023, keeping him with the club until 2025 and then made 11 Premier League appearances for Chelsea throughout the 2023-24 season, and then a further extension to 2026 the following year.

But he was also sent out on loan to Sheffield United for the 2024-25 season, and after he had a stop-start time at Bramall Lane, the decision was made to sell him to West Brom for somewhat of a cut-price fee - although you can bank on Chelsea having a sell-on clause in there to profit on any potential future move and development.

It will always be a difficult decision to leave a childhood club that the player has supported. But Alfie Golchrist can leave Stamford Bridge with his head held high, and the endorsement of the player that he grew up idolising still ringing in his ears. It should do his confidence at his new club no harm whatsoever.