He's also kept a close eye on our pre-season by taking up co-commentary duties alongside Rob Daly for our friendlies against MK Dons, Auckland and Sydney FC.
So, who better to run the rule over our latest pre-season opponents as La Liga side Getafe CF arrive at Hotspur Way on Saturday (3pm UK) - Terry will also be a guest on our SPURSPLAY coverage alongside presenter, Ben Haines.
What can we expect from Getafe CF on Saturday?
Terry: “Every year, I look at Getafe’s season ahead and they are relegation candidates. Their aim is to stay in the division, because if they ever have any good players, they lose them and that’s happened again this summer. Last season, I went on record saying I thought they were going to get relegated. They didn't have the players needed to play the style the manager likes to play. They then picked up three or four players in the January transfer window and ended up finishing seventh and qualifying for Europe. They've kept a couple of those loan players - Martín Satriano, a centre forward and a centre-back, Zaid Romero. However, Luis Vázquez, from Anderlecht, he's ended up going to Birmingham City and they’ve lost their best two midfielders - Mauro Arambari has gone to River Plate, Luis Milla to Como. I think I read that they’ve actually spent 19 million, a fortune for Getafe, but they’ve sold players for 28 million. So, my first thought – it could be a struggle again. Look, it probably won't be because the manager, Jose Bordalas, is different class and finds a way, but you're not looking at a team where you think, ‘they could be challenging for Europe’. It's a miracle they're challenging and playing in Europe this season. They seem to have the same issues every summer. When they started last season, I looked at them and thought, ‘this doesn't look like Getafe’ but they rectified it in the January transfer window, went on a wonderful run, finished seventh and qualified for the Conference League.”
What style of play are we looking at?
Terry: “It's direct, and it can vary. It's not always 4-4-2, sometimes it’s three at the back. Bordalas might play a big centre-forward occasionally wide as well, so you've got crosses coming in and the big centre-forward attacking from the left wing position. Bordalas gets his teams really well drilled. They're aggressive. They're the most aggressive team in La Liga by a mile – they pick up the most yellow and red cards. Some players have been with Bordalas for ages, but a couple have just left - Mauro Arambarri and Luis Milla. That will be a big blow. He's got a player called Djene Dakonam, who's been there forever. He typifies Bordalas and when he picks him, which he does in every game, you never know whether he's going to play right-back, centre-back or centre midfield, but he's aggressive, puts his foot in and typifies what the manager is all about.”
What can you tell us about the manager, Jose Bordalas?
Terry: “In recent years he’s mainly been at Getafe and had a short spell at Valencia, where he did well for a year (2021/22), got to the Copa del Rey final, lost on penalties to Real Betis – then got the sack. Before that, he took Alaves back into La Liga (for the first time in 10 years, 2015/16) but then got the sack before the season started. From Alaves, he went to Getafe in 2016, stayed there for five years, took them up, went to Valencia, and he’s now been back at Getafe since 2023. I feel that he’s a coach who should be getting better jobs. It’s his second time in Europe with Getafe, and that’s astonishing, really. Remember, their average home crowd last season was just over 8,000. During my career, I played for Wimbledon, a smaller club in the top division. I know what it’s like – it’s tough – and he never gets Getafe relegated. Now they’re in Europe again – amazing.”