Bates assures Terry he has a blue future at Stamford Bridge

KEN BATES moved to quell player unrest at Chelsea over contracts by revealing there will be a new deal waiting for John Terry when he returns from South Africa.

The Chelsea chairman's stance was boosted by club captain Marcel Desailly declaring that he may continue playing beyond the end of his contact in 2004.

Terry claimed this week he had not heard anything from Chelsea about his future despite being told the club would renew contract talks at the end of the season. He also admitted to being flattered by speculation linking him with Arsenal.

But Bates, who is on a Mediterranean cruise, argued it was premature for the defender to be criticising the club. He said: "Terry is a wonderful talent but he doesn't know what he is talking about. How can I talk about a new contract when he's in South Africa and I'm on my cruise?

"The season finished on 11 May, I went on holiday on the 14th and he's off with England. When we all get back, there will be a contract awaiting him. Perhaps this will be yet another lesson for Terry to be careful what he says because there is always the danger of it being distorted."

Terry, who will miss England's friendly with South Africa with a thigh strain, is one of Chelsea's lowest paid stars. His current contract, which has two years left to run, puts him on about £8,000-a-week, but that figure could treble if he signs a new deal.

Bates added: "I arranged to personally see John Terry in January about this issue and he rang to leave a message that he couldn't make the meeting. I've yet to have an explanation from him as to why and I am still waiting for him to call me, It's not my job to chase after him."

Chelsea are also hoping to extend William Gallas's long-term contract and Gianfranco Zola is close to agreeing a new one-year deal.

Desailly, who is becoming increasingly keen to extend his own contract at Chelsea, believes Terry, Gallas and Zola will all stay.

Speaking at the Laureus World Sports Awards in Monaco, he said: "William and John are the present and future of Chelsea. They are already playing at a high level and will be in the first team for a long time. They are still young, but have the quality and experience to maintain their performance.

"They have to stay and try to keep Chelsea at the top. It looks like Gianfranco wants to stay too. He's a Chelsea man and it's impossible to see him in another shirt."