John Terry, Chelsea legend, admitted he found it ‘almost offensive’ that the club overlooked him in favor of Calum Mc Farlane for the interim coaching position. The former captain of the Blues did not hide his disappointment at not being called to assist the first team after Enzo Maresca’s departure in January. Despite having criticized the London club’s decisions in the past, the former center-back made his strongest statements on the matter. During an appearance on the show Sports Uncensored, host Piers Morgan suggested that the former defender might find it ‘almost offensive that they chose someone so inexperienced, so amateur, so strange instead of someone like Terry,’ given his experience and connection to the club. Terry’s response was immediate and forceful. ‘Piers, you are 100 percent right,’ he stated, before clarifying his position. ‘I never thought I could be the coach of Chelsea, but when a coach leaves and they are looking for an interim, there was no one in the building, whether in the academy or the first team, who was more qualified than me in terms of credentials.’ Terry went further, emphasizing his strong connection to the club: ‘More importantly, and above all, whether it was for one or two games, there was no one more Chelsea than me. And, once again, thinking about the fans, it was about giving the fans what they wanted at that moment.’ However, the coach made sure to separate his short-term and long-term ambitions. ‘Did I think I deserved the coaching position long-term? Not at all, because Chelsea is much bigger than me. If I want to get to that point, I need to make my way to earn my place.’ It should be noted that Terry, who worked alongside Mc Farlane in Chelsea’s youth setup, was not contacted to support the first team during the transition period. The former Aston Villa assistant lamented the lack of opportunities, even at lower levels, after years of dedication to his development as a coach. ‘I spent four years taking my courses, traveling around the country. I spent three and a half years at Aston Villa as Dean Smith’s assistant, living away from my family to prepare myself for a position. And I’m not talking about Premier League or Championship level. The positions I was interviewed for were in League One, and even then I didn’t get the opportunity,’ Terry expressed, who also served as an assistant at Leicester in 2022/23, to commentator Simon Jordan. Previously, after Liam Rosenior’s dismissal in April, which led to a second interim period for Mc Farlane, Terry had already confirmed to his followers on Tik Tok that he had not been contacted. ‘I don’t know what Calum’s coaching staff will be like, I didn’t receive a call, I didn’t receive a message. I will continue my role in the academy,’ he said at the time, assuring support for his colleague.
Read more in Premier League news. and related tags: Chelsea, John Terry.