West Brom probably won't regret John Terry transfer miss - Aston Villa beat them to it | OneFootball

Albion missed out on the Chelsea legend's signature despite being a division above their rivals at the time

The 2017/18 season saw West Bromwich Albion begin the campaign as the highest-placed club in the West Midlands region as the solitary side competing in the Premier League.

Albion came off the back of a successful season under Tony Pulis, finishing in 10th place with a total of 45 points, with the likes of Salomon Rondon and Gareth McAuley two of the club's standout performers, as they recorded a top-half finish for the first time since 2011/12.

However, the campaign which followed would prove to be disastrous, despite the former Stoke City boss recruiting several seasoned top-flight performers in what proved to be his final transfer window at The Hawthorns, with the likes of Kieran Gibbs, Gareth Barry and Jay Rodriguez all signing for the Baggies.

It was also made no secret by the Welshman that Chelsea's former 'Captain, Leader, Legend' - John Terry - could have also moved to B71 that particular off-season as the iconic centre-back bid farewell to Stamford Bridge after an illustrious stint.

Terry would go on to swap West London for the West Midlands, but instead opted to join Albion's local rivals, Aston Villa.

And, whilst Albion's season would end in relegation, missing out on the former England international to the Villans isn't as big of a transfer regret in hindsight.

After Terry's regular game-time had somewhat diminished under Antonio Conte's management, it was reported by Sky Sports that West Brom had made an enquiry regarding the centre-back's services in January 2017, before Pulis confirmed such interest weeks later as the experienced defender's situation at Stamford Bridge remained unclear.

"It (January's enquiry) was just finding out what the situation was, and then it was whether we moved on it or we didn't," Pulis stated.

"I think he wanted to be there and stay there and be part of going out as a champion.

"If he becomes available in the summer, we'll sit down then and have a little think about what we've got and what we haven't got and then we'll take it from there."

Terry would then announce that he would be leaving Chelsea a month before the end of the season, with a 26-minute cameo in a 3-1 win over Sunderland being the last of his 717 appearances for the Blues, before he would seek pastures new for the first time in his senior career.

Unsurprisingly, many suitors threw their hat into the ring to acquire the 78-time Three Lions international, such as AFC Bournemouth, Swansea City and Birmingham City, who were then managed by Harry Redknapp.

Given West Brom's relative success the previous season, it was still reported by the Guardian that a move to The Hawthorns could have proved "the most attractive option," whilst claims of a lucrative offer in excess of £4m from the Villans, managed by Steve Bruce, emerged.

It was then stated that Albion had begun talks with Terry in June 2017. However, the one-time Nottingham Forest loanee would accept a one-year offer from Villa just two weeks later, targeting a promotion back to the top-flight, whilst revealing that facing off against his former employers would have been too much.

"For me it was just the mental side of playing against Chelsea, it was just too much to get over for me," he said.

"I was 22 years at the football club, 22 unbelievable years, I'm very proud of that but this is a new chapter in my life, my career. I wish Chelsea well next season and will be watching out but my thoughts are 100 percent here."

John Terry's one season as an Aston Villa player ended in disappointment

Terry would go on to form a strong partnership with former Baggie, James Chester, at the heart of Bruce's defence, as the 36-year-old made his Championship bow for the club against Hull City on August 5th, 2017.

In what proved to be the final season of his lengthy career, the Barking-born defender would play the full 90 minutes of the first 15 games of the season and net his solitary goal in Claret and Blue against Fulham in a 1-0 success at Villa Park in October 2017.

After suffering a metatarsal fracture which kept him sidelined for 10 games, Terry would play 32 times in the regular season for the Villans, who ended up finishing fourth in the second tier after a bumpy end to the season, before facing Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals.

Bruce's experienced side, which also included the likes of Alan Hutton, Ahmed Elmohamady, Neil Taylor, Robert Snodgrass, Jack Grealish, Glenn Whelan and Lewis Grabban, would progress to the showpiece event at Wembley, but would come unstuck against the aforementioned Cottagers.

Tom Cairney's first-half strike succumbed Villa to a third-successive season in the Championship as well as a disastrous financial plight in the off-season, where it was reported that the club couldn't afford to pay Terry the final month's worth of his £60,000 per-week contract.

The man, who had 17 major honours on his CV, would snub a move to Spartak Moscow, returning to Villa Park in a coaching capacity under Dean Smith as the club ended their three-year exile from the Premier League by defeating the Baggies and Derby County in the play-offs, before Terry would leave the club in the summer of 2021.

Whilst it's clear that the Chelsea icon also left a small legacy in B6 whilst Albion's stint between the top two tiers began under Darren Moore, Slaven Bilic and Sam Allardyce, supporters won't feel as disheartened by this transfer miss, given how Terry's playing career came to a somewhat underwhelming end.