Legendary former Chelsea captain John Terry has returned to the club in a coaching consultancy role with the academy.
Terry won it all in his time as a player at Stamford Bridge after joining the youth set-up in 1995, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2012. He eventually left the Blues in 2017 to join Aston Villa, where he spent one season before retiring and becoming then-manager Dean Smith's assistant.
After three successful years as Smith's right-hand man, the 41-year-old departed Villa in the summer to focus on becoming a manager himself, and he has now returned to the club where he made his name in a part-time capacity.
In an official statement, Chelsea said: "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."
Speaking about Terry's return, Chelsea's head of youth development Neil Bath 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."
Terry himself posted on Twitter, saying: "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."
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Source : 90min