Former Chelsea captain John Terry went on a rant after being overlooked for the caretaker manager role at the club earlier this year, leading to some bemusement within the Blues' ranks.
John Terry of Chelsea watches on from the stands during the Premier League 2 match between Chelsea U21 v Manchester City U21
John Terry has left Chelsea baffled after ranting about being overlooked for the caretaker manager role this season(Image: (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images))
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Chelsea have been left baffled by comments made by former captain John Terry after an astonishing rant in which he claimed he was overlooked for the caretaker manager role earlier this year. That's according to the Telegraph, which reports that there is bemusement within the club regarding comments made by the ex-defender.
Terry retired from his professional playing career in 2018, and quickly went on to earn his coaching badges, with the intention of being a manager one day. While he has had opportunities as an assistant, he is yet to lead a team as the head coach or manager, with his initial dream seemingly being to one day lead Chelsea from the dugout.
While the 45-year-old has since moved to a role within the academy at Cobham, he revealed his frustration at being overlooked as a potential caretaker option earlier this year. Following the sacking of Enzo Maresca, under-21s coach Calum McFarlane was given the opportunity to take charge until the appointment of Liam Rosenior.
On that call, Terry revealed his frustrations when he told the Golf Life YouTube channel: "Not annoyed, probably more frustrated, because I was certainly part of that Under‑21s group that went over. So even if I didn’t take the team … Calum took the team, did really well, got a result out of the [Manchester City] game. I feel like I should have been part of that.
“Now listen, people have got to make decisions. I love it when people make decisions and they go ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Clearly the ownership, or whoever made those decisions – the sporting directors – have gone ‘no’ not to include me, for whatever reason. I don’t know why.”
The claim from Terry is one that has seemingly left those at the club baffled, months on from him admitting that he had given up on becoming a manager. The former defender has a rolling contract with Chelsea, but his current role appears to be more on the mentoring side of the academy, compared to the rest of the coaches.
He told The Sun last August: "I’m done in terms of coaching. I’m enjoying my life, I’m working in the Chelsea academy. My role’s a part-time role, I love working with the kids, I love passing on my knowledge and experience to those boys.”
Explaining his role in more detail, he said: "I don’t really coach at the moment, I’m a mentor, ambassador. I went for a couple of jobs and those days are gone for me.
John Terry reacts to the fans during the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and FC Internazionale
John Terry has given up on his dream of being a head coach(Image: (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images))
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"I’m enjoying my life a little bit, I’ve got my time to myself, I play a bit of golf, I’m in the academy and I have some family time as well. It’s a really good balance for me."
The latest comments may well end any hope that Terry has of taking Chelsea on in an interim basis in the future, should they look at another head coach change. It's clearly a frustrating moment for the former England international, who had previously laid out his dream to move into management.
Some of his peers from his playing days have done so, with Frank Lampard getting his own crack at the Chelsea job and having some success in a short period of time. His old teammate has also had roles at Derby County and Everton, before impressing with Championship table-toppers Coventry City, who are eyeing promotion to the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard is another who has had success, impressing at Rangers before his spell in the division in charge of Aston Villa. It remains to be seen whether Terry will get his own opportunity at doing so, if he changes his mind on coaching, especially with the qualifications and experience he has.