Chelsea legend John Terry makes feelings clear on links to Championship job | Football

John Terry has spoken out on being linked to the Oxford United manager’s job and his feelings are abundantly clear.

The 45-year-old is currently coaching in the Chelsea academy, having returned to worth with the Blues in July 2023.

The former England defender has held coaching roles at Aston Villa and Leicester City but has never taken the top job at a club since retiring from playing.

After Gary Rowett was sacked by Oxford shortly before Christmas, Terry was touted as a possible replacement at the struggling Championship club.

The Blues legend is aware of those rumours and has addressed them in no uncertain terms, saying he has no interest in the job and is very happy in his role at Chelsea.

Speaking on TikTok, Terry said: ‘Good morning, just on the golf course and just want to talk about me being linked with the Oxford job.

‘I’m not sure where these rumours come from, how they’re allowed to print it, I’m certainly not on the lookout for a job.

‘I’ve spoken about how much I love my role at Chelsea in the academy, working with the players in progressing them from the youth team, to reserves, to the first team, and the involvement I have in that.

‘I’ve certainly not approached Oxford, not spoken to anybody at all, so I just want to completely rule myself out of it.

‘I wish Oxford and whoever goes in as manager all the very best, but it certainly won’t be me. Cheers guys, have a good day and up the Chels!’

Oxford are 21st in the Championship, climbing out of the relegation zone after a 2-1 win over Southampton on Boxing Day.

Craig Short is in caretaker charge after the dismissal of Rowett on December 23.

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On the sacking of Rowett, Oxford’s chairman, Grant Ferguson, told the club’s website: ‘Gary joined during a challenging period and deserves immense credit for the hard work and leadership that saw us retain our Championship status last season. However, following a disappointing run of results, we have had to take this difficult decision in the best interests of the club.

‘On behalf of the board, I would like to place on record our thanks to Gary and Mark for their contribution to the football club and to wish them all the best for the future.’

Speaking after the win over the Saints, Short said: ‘Confidence is such an important thing in sport. The players seemed to enjoy the pressure and give the fans a performance and now the challenge is doing it again.

‘I wanted to give the players a day off after Friday, but I brought them in to feel that togetherness again and enjoy that winning feeling together.

‘This is a bigger test for us now because we have raised our level and now we have to do it again.

‘That feeling at the end of the game, with the music on and smiles on people’s faces, we want to give them that again.

‘We got a performance and a result on Boxing Day. If we can get somewhere near that level, then hopefully we can get there.’

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