<h1>Record-breaking Terry deal splits opinion</h1> John Terry's new £135,000-a-week contract at Chelsea has divided opinion across the football spectrum on spiralling player wages.</p> The Blues and England captain last night became the country's highest-paid footballer when he finally agreed a five-year deal to stay at Stamford Bridge. </p> Jimmy Hill, who successfully campaigned to have the Football League's £20 maximum wage scrapped 46 years ago, admitted he never imagined players earning hundreds of thousands of pounds per week.</p> He said: 'However forward thinking I was, I could never have envisaged what we were earning then - £20 a week - ever getting to where it's got now.' </p> Former Professional Footballers' Association chairman Hill, who has been player, director and chairman during his distinguished career in the game, has no problem with footballers earning such lofty salaries.</p> 'It actually fulfils my passion that players should be free to be paid a fair percentage,' he said. </p> 'I haven't changed my view. A player is quite entitled to get a fair share of what his club is earning.'</p> However, Hill warned against clubs spending beyond their means. </p> He said: 'In an effort for clubs to do better and be successful, there is a tendency these days for directors to spent more money than they should on wages in the hope they're going to get rewarded - so I don't agree with that either.</p> 'I don't believe in players being paid more money than is coming through the turnstiles.' </p> Barry Fry is at the sharp end of the Football League ladder in his role as director of football and majority shareholder at Coca-Cola League Two Peterborough. </p> He had mixed feelings about the current climate.</p> 'I would imagine the majority of clubs at my level don't have £135,000 a month to spend, let alone a week,' he said.</p> 'We can't blame John Terry for this. In any walk of life, if you're working in a factory or sweeping roads or you're a postman, if you're employer offers you more money, you deserve it and good luck to you.'</p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p> </p>
