John Terry has left his role as Dean Smith’s assistant at Aston Villa, the club have confirmed via their official website.
Terry first came to Aston Villa as a player back in 2017 on a short-term contract. He played one year for the Midlands side, reaching the play-off final before being beaten by Fulham at Wembley.
He retired a few months later and returned to the Villans as Dean Smith’s assistant head coach.
During his first season in coaching, he achieved promotion via the play-offs and managed to help the club to survival the following season on the final day.
Last term, the former England captain enjoyed a far more comfortable campaign, finishing in 11th place.
This turned out to be his final year at Villa Park, with the club announcing via their official website that he has quit.
Speaking on his departure, Terry said: “It has been a tremendous honour and privilege to have spent these last three years at Aston Villa, but I feel now is the right time to make the extremely difficult decision to move on.
“My immediate plan is to spend some quality time with my family and, thereafter, hopefully take up some invitations to visit clubs and managers around Europe to develop my aim and objective of becoming a manager.
“It has always been my ambition to move into football management and, providing the right opportunity presents itself, I feel ready to take up such a challenge.”
How would John Terry do as a manager?
At this moment in time, it is near impossible to tell how Terry would do in management. However, there are some indicators that suggest he could be a good manager.
Firstly, during his time as assistant at Aston Villa, he achieved good things. Promotion in his first season, survival in the second, mid-table in the third – all positive outcomes.
Secondly, he was renowned for being an excellent captain during his playing career.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll become a top-class manager – Roy Keane and Gary Neville were also highly successful captains. However, it shows impressive leadership skills.
Furthermore, he will have learned from some of the best. Over the years, the centre-back played under some of the most successful managers of the modern era, including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Fabio Capello.
Once again, this isn’t a guarantee of anything (Keane and Neville spring to mind), but it certainly can’t hurt his chances.
One thing he will certainly have is the respect of his players. After all, there are very few who can match the medal haul that Terry has accumulated.
As of now, there are only two vacant managerial positions in the top four tiers of English football. One of those is League Two side Swindon Town, which seems highly unlikely.
The other is Swansea City, who saw boss Steve Cooper leave last week. He led the club to two successive top-six finishes but was unable to reach the Premier League, losing in the play-offs to Brentford in both seasons.
The objective at the Liberty Stadium is to achieve promotion. This would put a lot of pressure on Terry should he take the job, and the Swans may be better off looking for someone with more experience.
Read also: Aston Villa reportedly eyeing a potential swoop for Manchester United ace Anthony Martial.
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