John Terry is stepping down from his position as assistant manager of Aston Villa with immediate effect, the Premier League club announced in a press release on Monday. The former Chelsea defender ended his active career at the Birmingham club in 2017, only to return to the coaching staff a year later. Three years later, however, the partnership between Aston Villa and Terry comes to an end.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to have worked at Aston Villa for three years,” the outgoing Terry said in a statement on Monday. “However, the time has come to take the next step, even if it is an extremely difficult decision. I have the utmost respect for the manager (Dean Smith, ed.) and everyone in the club, which has given me a very good summer this summer I’ve thought about my future. I don’t think it’s fair to start a new season here if I’m not 100 percent behind it.”
Aston Villa can confirm that John Terry has left the club. Thank you and all the best for the future, JT. ??
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 26, 2021
“First I make time for something quality time with my family. After that, I hope to receive invitations to visit clubs and managers all over Europe, in order to develop myself as a manager. That is still my ultimate goal. If an opportunity arises somewhere, I hope to be able to take on a new challenge. I would like to thank the board and owners of Aston Villa for their trust and belief in me. And I am eternally grateful to Dean Smith for the opportunity to start my coaching career at this great club. I loved every minute of it and learned a lot,” said the grateful Terry.
Smith regrets that the collaboration with Terry at Villa Park has come to an untimely end. “It is disappointing that he is no longer part of my coaching staff. However, I understand his decision very well and have a lot of respect for it. John has been very important in the success of the club in recent years and I have a lot of His unconditional support has benefited me. I am confident that he will become a top class manager,” the Aston Villa manager concluded by thanking Terry.
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