John Terry will eventually return to Stamford Bridge as Chelsea manager, according to former Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo.
Terry is currently part of Dean Smith’s coaching set-up at Aston Villa but Di Matteo, who worked with Terry when he was Chelsea boss in 2012, believes there is an inevitability that he will eventually land the top job in west London.
“If you can sign JT, you get him,” Di Matteo told the Athletic. “He’s a guy who makes things easier for the manager. He, too, will be there as a manager in the future. As a player he was writing down some of the sessions and he’s now gained so much experience from the managers he’s worked under.”
Frank Lampard, a former team-mate of Terry, is currently in charge at Chelsea after joining from Derby County in the summer.
Lampard was a popular choice among supporters following the tense atmosphere that was created under Italian boss Maurizio Sarri, before he departed to take over at Juventus.
Di Matteo had Lampard as his captain in the 2012 Champions League final – Chelsea’s first time winning Europe’s premier club competition. And the 49-year-old is in no doubt Lampard, despite a slow start to the season, will be a ‘great’ appointment for the club.
“Frank will become a great manager,” the Italian added. “He is a very balanced guy – sensible, smart and incredibly hard-working. I think it’s the right appointment for Chelsea because it brings everybody together.”
Chelsea are currently 11th after four games with five points from one win, two draws and one defeat — the opening day rout away to Manchester United.
