Legend having a well timed homecoming to Chelsea’s academy

One of the most important lessons Chelsea legend John Terry ever learned was to learn from mistakes. After a long career, even he will admit that he had a few. But he always tried to come back from those mistakes better and, more importantly, he always looked out for others to save them from having to make the mistake at all.

When John Terry was told his contract would not be renewed at Chelsea, it was a gut punch but one that had been coming. Terry, however, still felt like he had more to give. He decided to continue his career at Aston Villa and, not long after his retirement, he would become Dean Smith’s assistant coach.

After Terry helped Smith turn Aston Villa into a Premier League side again, Terry decided to take his chances in management himself. Months passed as job after job came up with him linked. Nothing stuck. It’s unfortunately hard for a manager without managerial experience to get a job. So Terry waited and waited, knowing he had to get it right.

It may not have been exactly what he wanted, but John Terry will be returning to Chelsea to take part in the academy set up. It’s not the managerial position he wanted or even the type of experience he wanted, but the Chelsea network can help him spread his wings while he gets something done. And that’s assuming it stops there.

Chelsea has long been a club that starts careers. Maybe not necessarily Chelsea careers, but the Premier League alone is littered with players and managers that went through the academy and first team set ups. And, Terry need only look at what has become of Aston Villa to see the value in this decision to return to Chelsea. Stephen Gerrard did his time in the Liverpool academy before he got the Rangers job. The Rangers job eventually provided the springboard needed to replace Dean Smith at Aston Villa. Terry may be looking for a similar boost out of Chelsea’s academy.

But, there is another option. First of all, Terry is Chelsea through and through. Given a job in the academy, it’s not unlikely that he stays there. As a player, Terry was frequently seen at academy matches and with academy players. His time at Aston Villa was valuable and he wants a managerial job, but not all end roads match the end goals.

There is also a chance he could go from the academy to the first team staff. Terry may not have shared many teammates with the current locker room, but his voice carries a ton of weight at Chelsea. Furthermore, one need only look at the impact he had on Aston Villa by looking at results after he left. Even if Chelsea is in a good place, they would surely rather have that voice on their bench than another.

And there is always the golden grail at the end: John Terry as manager. Thomas Tuchel could (and should) stay around for a while but eventually Chelsea will have to find out what comes next. Frank Lampard jumped in the deep end before he fully learned to swim. He did learn, but not without it being a bit awkward at times. Terry going through the full motion may help him become a Steve Holland like character who could pretty easily take charge if needed.

But, this is all up to Terry. Right now, it’s just good to have him coming home as the Blues prepare to face his other club, Aston Villa.