Chelsea legend John Terry gives up dream of becoming a manager and is ‘baffled’ at some people getting top jobs

CHELSEA icon John Terry has given up pursuing a career as a manager.

The former Blues captain, 44, last worked full-time in a coaching capacity with Dean Smith for a short spell in the Leicester dugout two years ago.

Terry had been Smith’s assistant at Aston Villa, where he helped them win promotion via the play-offs to the Premier League in 2019.

The ex-England skipper has since been interviewed by Newcastle and some League One clubs.

But the process puts him off, and he is ‘baffled’ when he sees some coaches who do land work.

He told SunSport: “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.”

Terry — who won five Prem titles in his playing days at Chelsea, as well as five FA Cups, three League Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League — added: “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. 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.”

Terry finished his playing career with Villa in 2018 and focus quickly switched to becoming a coach.

Despite being content with his role at Chelsea, Terry says there is still frustration that he did not get a chance to be a manager anywhere.

He said: “I absolutely wanted it. 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.

“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.”