‘I should have been part of that’ - John Terry claims Chelsea owners blocked him from joining first-team coaching staff

The legendary former captain expressed his frustration at being overlooked when the club was in crisis following the departure of manager Enzo Maresca. 

Terry, who holds a part-time mentorship role with Chelsea's Academy, was not included when members of the Under-21 staff were promoted to temporarily lead the senior squad.

At the time, U21 boss Calum McFarlane was appointed interim head coach for a Premier League match against Manchester City, bringing his own staff with him. Terry, despite his involvement with the academy teams, was left out of the arrangement.

Terry, speaking on the GOLF LIFE YouTube channel during a tournament in Thailand with other former professional footballers earlier this year, suspects the decision came directly from the club's ownership or sporting directors.

Speaking in an interview at a golf tournament, Terry explained his feelings about the situation. "Not annoyed, probably more frustrated because I was certainly part of that 21s group that went over," he said. 

"Even if I didn’t take the team… Calum took the team, did really well, and got a result out of the game. I feel like I should have been part of that."

Terry added, "Now listen, people have got to make decisions. I love it when people make decisions and they go ‘yes’ or ‘no’. 

“Clearly, the ownership or whoever made those decisions, the sporting directors, have gone ‘no’ not to include me for whatever reason, I don’t know why."

Following Maresca's exit, many Chelsea supporters had called for the "Captain, Leader, Legend" to be brought in to help stabilise the team. 

However, the club's leadership opted for continuity by promoting McFarlane and his full-time backroom team, who had regular contact with the first-team setup.