John Terry believes his dream of managing Chelsea could be over after being left confused by the lack of opportunities that have come his way.
Terry, 44, enjoyed a hugely impressive playing career for Chelsea and England, winning 17 trophies with the Blues, before he ending his playing career at Aston Villa.
After retiring, he joined the set up at Villa Park as Dean Smith’s No 2 and together they got the club promoted to the Premier League, before establishing the Villans as a top-flight side.
Terry departed in the summer of 2021 and it was widely expected he would move into management, with the former defender linked to roles at several clubs, including Newcastle.
However, nothing materialised, and bar a short stint as Smith’s assistant at Leicester City and a role as a coaching consultant in Chelsea’s academy, Terry’s career in the dugout has stalled.
The 44-year-old’s lack of progression is all the more perplexing to him when a number of his former teammates – including Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney – have held managerial roles at multiple clubs.
And Terry, whose goal has always been to return to Chelsea as their manager, says it may be time to accept that his dream is over.
‘I’m not sure it ever happens, to be honest. It’s my one last dream I have at the football club. I’ve done everything at Chelsea. And for me now, the one thing that is missing is being the manager of the football club.
‘That’s why I went into coaching when I finished playing. My idea and dream was to learn my trade a bit. As a player, you retire after 22 years… Listen, 100 per cent, you learn enough to go into management.
‘The level I played at and the managers I played under. But it doesn’t give you the right you go into management at a certain level. You still have to learn and understand what it takes.
‘There’s a lot more that goes into the coaching side of it. So I went away and learnt my trade, I had some unbelievable times at Villa, I left Villa to be a number one, I thought I was ready. I think I’d be a really good number one, I enjoyed the coaching side of it.
‘I want people around me that are better coaches than me. Then I could lead the dressing room and the team like I did [as a player]. That’s what I did for 22 years at the club. I know I’d be good at it. Will I ever get the chance? I’m not sure, without doing the other bits. But when people tell you you’ve not got the experience, it’s difficult to fathom.’
Terry previously claimed his experience working under Smith should have put him in good stead for a managerial role at a club lower in the food chain, but no offers were forthcoming.
‘When I went into Villa I got great experience under Dean Smith and we got promotion, which was incredible.
‘As an assistant coach in the Premier League and the experience I’ve had as a player and an individual captain in both Chelsea and England, I thought that would be enough to get me a job.
‘I’m not saying a job in the Premier League or the Championship – but a job at League One level.’
Terry continued: ‘I didn’t even get a sniff. I had interviews and it was just “you have no experience”. When I see some people managing today, it baffles me, it really does.
‘In terms of ‘am I frustrated’, yes, absolutely, because I have a lot of good attributes to be a really good coach or a really good manager but, unfortunately, that’s not happened.’
