John Terry ‘happy’ at Aston Villa amid Bournemouth job rumours

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith says that assistant John Terry is “happy” in his current role, despite rumours linking the former Chelsea defender to Bournemouth.

The Cherries sacked manager Jason Tindall in midweek and Terry has emerged as a leading candidate to replace him.

Smith says that his right-hand man is destined for a top job sooner or later, though.

“I am always said from the outset that John Terry came here to learn about coaching. He has become a very good assistant manager to me but he has come in to learn the trade to ultimately become a No 1,” the Villa boss said.

“There has been a lot of speculation as you said with JT. He is really enjoying his work. He is a big part of why we are having a successful season this year.

“If John Terry comes to me and asks whether he can go to Bournemouth then that is another conversation I have with sporting director Johan Lange and chief executive Christian Purslow. But at the moment he is happy to be at Aston Villa.”

What has John Terry done since he retired?

Terry won acclaim as a player during a highly successful career at Chelsea, which saw him play nearly 500 Premier League games for the club. Indeed, he is the Blues’ most decorated captain, having won five Premier Leagues, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one Europa League and one Champions League.

He left Chelsea in 2017 to move to Aston Villa, where he played for a single season before stepping up to coach the team in October 2018, at which point he retired from playing.

Terry has been Smith’s assistant at Villa Park ever since. He was a member of the coaching staff that saw Aston Villa promoted back to the Premier League in 2019.