December 29, (THEWILL) – John Terry, the legendary former Chelsea captain, has returned to the club as a coaching consultant with the Academy.
After entering the youth set-up in 1995, Terry won it all at Stamford Bridge, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2012. In 2017, he left the Blues to join Aston Villa, where he stayed for one season before retiring and becoming Dean Smith’s assistant manager.
After three years as Smith’s right-hand man, the 41-year-old left Villa in the summer to pursue a career as a manager, and he has now returned to the club where he first made his reputation in a part-time role.
An official statement about Terry’s return from Chelsea read: “The Blues legend will work with our young players and coaching staff in our youth development programme, sharing the vast experience gained from his 20-year playing career and recent spell as assistant coach at Aston Villa.
“As well as delivering on-field coaching, our former club captain will contribute to coaching discussions with colleagues, mentor academy players and support parent dialogue. He will begin the role in a part-time capacity at the start of next month.
“This flexibility is beneficial for both John and the Academy, as it allows him to continue to develop his own coaching skills alongside other commitments, while being used optimally within our development programme.”
Neil Bath, Chelsea’s Head of Youth Development added: “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.”
Meanwhile, over on Twitter, Terry himself posted: “I’m delighted to announce that I’m coming home, and have taken up a consultancy role at Chelsea’s academy. As well as delivering on field coaching sessions I will be involved in coaching discussions and mentoring our academy players.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
