John Terry has conceded that Chelsea are "a few years away" from vying for the Premier League title. Chelsea icon Terry has also cautioned that his old club can only accrue experience and entice top-tier players to the club by securing major silverware. The Blues concluded the season on an upbeat note, hoisting aloft the Europa Conference League trophy and securing a Champions League berth by finishing fourth, and now set off for the Club World Cup in the United States.
During Roman Abramovich's tenure, Terry amassed a trove of trophies at Stamford Bridge, with stars like Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard propelling them to multiple titles. Ex-England skipper Terry expresses his frustration that Chelsea's youthful squad isn't nearer to challenging the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City for domestic glory.
Terry said: "I get frustrated because I want Chelsea to be winning the trophies. Are we close? I think we are still a few years away from competing for the Premier League again. We need to catch Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool to even have a chance of doing that.
"I think we need experience. I think it's through winning. If we're competing for a top striker, a top keeper, I know where I'd be going. Supporters must realise that to sign leading players and enhance your squad, you need to win and vie for the most prestigious trophies."
Terry concedes that at present, the team may need to opt for the 'second best striker, the third best striker, whatever that looks like.' He says the Londoners can't currently entice top talents like a Drogba or a Hazard because Chelsea aren't seen as a guaranteed venue for silverware.
He added: "That's probably why we've gone down the younger route at the minute and we haven't got players of the calibre of Didier, Hazard and these guys wanting to come to Chelsea because we are the best and we are guaranteed to win a trophy."
The ex-skipper recognises the frustrations of the Blues' supporters, admitting he regularly engages in discussions with them during away matches and appreciates the ever-widening gap between players and fans.
Terry said: "It's probably hard in terms of not competing for trophies. That's the hard bit. I go to away games and stuff, I sit with the supporters and we talk about it.
"You get a different perspective on stuff because I know the money they are spending and the disparity between the fans and the players is getting bigger and bigger."
He acknowledges the current distance from Chelsea's zenith but suggests patience, well-aware that long-term strategies could restore their fortunes, given his deep understanding of the club's past lows before the Roman Abramovich era.
He added: "We're off that at the minute, I have to say. But it's going to be a process of that. But Chelsea fans, because of what we've seen pre-Roman, we've seen these down times then it's fine for us.
"The most important thing for those fans, and I'm a fan, is that we can see a plan is in place. Then I think the fans will buy into it. Whether they're fully behind it at the moment, I don't know and I can't speak for the supporters.
"But I feel we need a bit of experience in the group. I feel they're a young bunch, I feel their recent form has been slightly off due to a lack of experience and we've lost a couple of the boys due to injury.
"There's many factors that come into it but do I think we'll get back to where we were? Yeah, I do. How long will that be? I'm not too sure. Only time will tell."