Terry returns to Chelsea in part-time Academy role

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London, Dec. 29: Chelsea have announced that club legend John Terry is to return to Stamford Bridge to take up a coaching consultancy role at the Academy.

Terry has been out of work since leaving his role as assistant head coach of Aston Villa under then boss Dean Smith in July.

The 41-year-old played for the Blues for almost 19 years before leaving for Villa Park in 2017 and will now begin a part-time role at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, which according to an announcement on the club's official website will include delivering on-field coaching, contributing to coaching discussions with colleagues, mentoring Academy players and supporting parent dialogue.

Terry will begin his new position at the start of January, and head of youth development at Chelsea, Neil Bath, said of the appointment: "We are delighted to be welcoming John back to Cobham in a role that will involve coaching and mentoring the next generation of young players in our Academy.

"It goes without saying that John's experience in the game, both as a world-class player and more recently as an assistant coach in the Premier League, will be invaluable for everyone in the building.

"He will be a great mentor for our players and a fantastic asset to our coaching staff. We can't wait for him to get started."

Terry made 717 appearances for Chelsea, the third-most in the club's history, over 500 of which came as captain. He won 17 trophies overall, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League, before going on to make 32 appearances at Villa.

On leaving the Midlands club in July, Terry stated it was his intention to move into football management, and it is understood that this remains this case, with the former England international recently being linked with several jobs in the Championship.

Terry told Aston Villa's official website on his departure: "It has always been my ambition to move into football management and, providing the right opportunity presents itself, I feel ready to take up such a challenge."