Chelsea legend John Terry appeared to have given up on being a permanent manager but is working with the London side’s academy and a new opportunity could be on the horizon.
Former Chelsea captain John Terry is in contention to become the club’s first manager. The former England centre-back appeared happy working part-time in Chelsea’s youth team after nearly giving up on a top flight following repeated rejections, but things may have changed.
Oxford United are one club considering whether to take a chance on the 45-year-old. They recently parted ways with manager Gary Rowett after falling into the relegation zone of the Championship, but Boxing Day’s win lifted them out of the bottom three.
According to The Sun, Terry is one of several candidates to join Oxford University. Former Rangers and QPR manager Mick Beale is another, and Terry will hope history doesn’t repeat itself.
The publication states that Terry was also included in the slot in 2023 when Liam Manning leaves for Bristol City. On that occasion, he lost to Des Buckingham, who later led the American team to promotion.
Buckingham was sacked in December 2024 and is currently the manager of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Khorod. However, Rowett’s replacement as manager did not last long, and Terry was given the chance to revive a managerial career he had once almost given up on.
read more: Chelsea could be without four players from Everton after Cole Palmer updateread more: Keir Starmer issues ultimatum over £2.5bn Chelsea funding Roman Abramovich’s secret luxury life
“I’m done coaching. I’m enjoying life and working in Chelsea’s academy,” Terry told The Sun as recently as August. “My role is part-time. I love working with children. I love passing on my knowledge and experience to children.”
He has worked on Dean Smith’s coaching staff during his spells at Aston Villa and Leicester City. This led Terry to put his name in the running for several management positions, but he was frustrated that no one was ready to take the chance.
“I definitely wanted it,” he added. “When I joined Villa I had great experience under Dean Smith and got promoted, which was incredible.
“Given my experience as an assistant coach in the Premier League and as a player and personal captain with both Chelsea and England, I thought I was good enough to get the job. I’m not talking about a job in the Premier League or the Championship, I’m talking about a job at League One level.”
“I couldn’t even smell it. I went for an interview and they just said, ‘You don’t have the experience.’ It baffles me when I see some people do so well today, it really does.”
If Oxford were to make a move for Terry, they would do so after their second league win in two months to boost their hopes of staying. Southampton visited the Kassam Stadium on Boxing Day, with Taylor Harwood-Bellis canceling out Tyler Goodrum’s opener and Stanley Mills scoring the winning goal for the hosts with just a minute remaining, with both teams level at the break.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports Premier League and EFL package discounts
£43
£35
sky
Get the deal here
Sky has reduced the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 on their bill and offering more than 1,400 live matches from the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will broadcast at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, with an increase of up to 100 more.
