Chelsea captain John Terry finally decided to speak out to put an end to the torrents of speculation about his possible transfer to Manchester City, saying that he "pledges his future to Chelsea" and that he "never intended leaving the club". The first phrase is believable,  but the second inevitably spawns the question, why play the cat-and-mouse game for so long?

Manchester City had a bid for the instrumental Chelsea player, which according to various English media was anything from 30 up to 40 million pounds sterling.  The centre-half, who did not intend leaving Chelsea, however opted to keep his club and supporters in the dark until he finally spoke out and rejected the offer to move to the Eastlands.

Reportedly, before making the statement, he had intensive talks with Manchester City manager Mark Hughes asking for reassurances that City's squad will be reinforced for the campaign. Reports in the Guardian and the Times also suggested that Terry was upset because Chelsea failed to make a decent signing this summer, and that he was discontent with the turmoil in the club after the departure of Jose Mourinho. In the end, however, he insisted that leaving Stamford Bridge "was never a possibility".

Hughes reportedly was ready to offer as much as 200 000 pounds sterling a week for the Chelsea and England captain, a package which Hughes thought would be enough to lure Terry to Eastlands, that plus the reinforcement of the squad which is a clear indication that city would be striving for silverware this season.

"There has been a lot of speculation about my future lately and I want to clear this up once and for all," Terry said, quoted by the BBC. "I am totally committed to Chelsea and always have been. Chelsea have also made it clear to me consistently that there was never any intention of accepting any kind of offer.

"What is clear to me following those discussions is that Chelsea's ambition remains as high as ever. This has been further proved by the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti. I am certain he will take this club to the next level".

Regardless of his decision, Terry's behaviour indicated that deep down he did have doubts and harboured temptation. It is up to the Chelsea fans and his teammates to decide if he really is 110 per cent committed, and worth of the captain's armband.