“It’s very early doors”- Chelsea legend John Terry addresses Saudi managerial links

Chelsea legend John Terry says he is not going to manage any Saudi club

Former Chelsea centre-back John Terry has shut down the specific task of managing Saudi Pro League club Al-Shabab, as he is set to return as coach at the Blues academy.

Rumours earlier revealed the 42-year-old had agreed to become manager of Saudi club Al-Shabab, where he could take charge of the likes of Yannick Carrasco, Romain Saidd, Ever Banega, and Habib Diallo.

The former Chelsea centre-back has mainly previously worked as an assistant coach with Dean Smith at both Aston Villa and Leicester.

John Terry shuts down rumours of managing Saudi club.
John Terry shuts down rumours of managing a Saudi club.

Earlier, the Sun stated that Saudi Arabia had yet to make a decision on their staff before deciding on Terry, as they were set to hold elections to name a new set of directors. Terry’s name has been mentioned as one of the candidates to take care of either the coaching or sporting director roles.

However, Terry dismissed those speculations during a sports memorabilia event (h/t Express). He also spoke about his new role and said, via journalist Simon Phillips:

“There have been talks, but the press is miles away. I’m not going to be a manager over there. It’s for a different role, and I’ll be based in the UK. It’s very early doors.”

We are hearing a lot of conflicting information at the moment, and since Terry has stated he will not be moving there, this sends the signal that he may be staying to continue coaching the Chelsea youth. Then, there is the natural progression to managing the Chelsea senior team in the future if things work out well for him.

But for that, he has a long way to go. With the example of Frank Lampard, it became clear that we can’t trust a manager only because they are a club legend. At times, he really seemed out of his depth.

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But Terry’s experience and knowledge of the sport make him a brilliant person to have at the club. Let us not forget how young this Chelsea team is, and how much a club legend, who has the Chelsae DNA in him, can help them adjust and realise their potential.