Soccer

John Terry returns to Chelsea as academy coaching consultant

Former defender to build up experience with ambition to move into management

Former Chelsea captain John Terry will begin working with the club’s academy in January in a consultancy role. Photo: Tim Keeton/PA Wire

Jacob Steinberg
Wed Dec 29 2021 - 11:41

John Terry is set for a return to Chelsea next month after agreeing to take up a part-time role as a coaching consultant in the club’s academy.

The former England captain has been looking for a fresh opportunity after leaving his role as Aston Villa’s assistant manager last summer. Terry is keen to become a manager and hopes to gain more coaching experience by working with Chelsea’s youngsters.

The 41-year-old, who is regarded as one of the greatest players in Chelsea’s history, will contribute to coaching discussions with colleagues, mentor academy players and support parent dialogue. The Stamford Bridge club said that the flexibility will allow Terry to continue his coaching development and maintain other commitments.

“We are delighted to be welcoming John back to Cobham in a role that will involve coaching and mentoring the next generation of young players in our Academy,” Neil Bath, Chelsea’s academy director, said. “It goes without saying that John’s experience in the game, both as a world-class player and more recently as an assistant coach in the Premier League, will be invaluable for everyone in the building. He will be a great mentor for our players and a fantastic asset to our coaching staff. We can’t wait for him to get started.”

READ MORE

Terry joined Chelsea as a 14-year-old scholar and went on to enjoy an illustrious playing career. He became Chelsea’s captain and established himself as one of the best defenders in the world before joining Villa in 2017.

Terry would go on to enjoy his time at Villa Park. He became Dean Smith’s assistant after retiring in October 2018 and helped Villa win promotion from the Championship in 2019.

Chelsea have been keen to bring former players back to the club. Petr Cech, their former goalkeeper, is the club’s technical and performance adviser and Paulo Ferreira, Ashley Cole, Carlo Cudicini and Claude Makélélé have roles. – Guardian